May 03, 2008
Building Relationships With Your Customers
No matter what kind of business you're in, building customer relations should be one of your top priorities. All customers, whether on-line or off, like to feel that they are appreciated when they shop in your brick and mortar store or through your web-site. It's easy in today's hurry up, not enough hours in the day society we live in, for business owners to get all caught up in their everyday schedules of running their businesses and loose focus on why they have a business in the first place... CUSTOMERS!
Here are 5 techniques every business owner can use to help increase relations and build trust with their client base.
Email's
Email opt-in list building is creating a list or a collection of email's of people who have a similar interest. List building is largely about building relationships with your customers and should be considered your business life line as it can directly effect your prosperity as well as profits.
Building a high-quality, robust and responsive mailing list can be worth it's weight in gold. An opt-in list for your business is and important commodity and should be one of your priorities no matter whether you have a web-site or not. Building lifetime customers is arguably the most important thing you can do for your business and building a successful list can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure.
Ezine's
This is a great way of capturing the email address of those who are interested in your products or services. Just place a small subscription form box on your web-site, or place printed forms in your business somewhere, explaining the benefits of your product or service. Launching your own email ezine is a good and fun way to help you build customer loyalty and build a communication link to them other than through traditional advertising.
It builds trust in the eyes of your customers when done right. Doing it right means including useful information about different topics of interest. Make it cheerful and fun so your subscribers will be counting down the days until they receive your next edition.
In addition, be sure to include a note about your special promotions, offers and sales to all members. You can even include coupons that can only be found in your ezine that will allow customers to get secret, un-advertised discounts. This can also help you to track the effectiveness of your ezine. This method will also work with newsletters and emails.
Newsletters
An email newsletter is similar to a regular newspaper but it delivers news directly to your email electronically. Most companies have an email sign up form on their web-site for their newsletters. Your subscribers should be able to set their watches by the arrival time of your newsletter. While newsletters and ezine's are pretty much the same thing it's important to use one or the other to keep in touch with your customers.
Auto-responders
An auto-responder is an easy, web-based email marketing software that delivers your email campaigns, special promotions, sales notices, newsletters, ezine's and follow-ups automatically. This is an absolute must for today's business owners. Once set up, it will allow you to put your marketing efforts on auto-pilot.
The bottom line with auto-responders, and this is extremely important, is you must use a professional auto-responder such as Aweber or GetResponse. Equally important is to use an Opt-in only, type of sign up and I personally would forget about purchasing so called fresh leads.
There are tons of free auto-responder services out there but the simple fact is that they're usually free for a reason; too many advertisements on your out going email messages and deliverability rates to name a few.
Article Marketing
Marketing by using articles can be one of the most effective and least expensive ways to promote your business. This is especially true if you have a web-site. Writing articles about subjects you know about that include keywords related to your business is one of the best ways to get search engines to notice you which can lead to increased traffic to your business. And no, contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be an expert in order to write articles.
Conclusion
Which ever way you choose to promote your business, always remember that the customer is the only reason you have a business in the first place, and you should do everything in your power to make their experience the absolute very best it can be. It's not always about the lowest or cheapest prices either, sometimes it's about how they are being treated that keeps them coming back.
Posted by billenross at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2008
The Key To Business Success
The average person thinks of a business person as either some kind of poker-faced accountant or some cherubic extroverted sales person. You rarely read an article in the popular medium about an imaginative business person or often hear of one who is highly creative, artistic, and imaginative.
The popular concept of a business person espoused by the media is someone who is rather dull and linear in their thinking. They are referred to more often as "hard-nosed" and "practical." In fact, many business people themselves buy into this erroneous stereotype.
Yet imagination is the heart of business success. While corporations themselves may appear to be based on buttoned-down rules and regulations, the entrepreneurs who started them have all, without exception, been highly creative and imaginative. Those corporations that remain innovative and progressive still retain some themes of imaginative expression.
Napoleon Hill, in his perennially popular book, Think And Grow Rich, goes into great detail about the seminal role of imagination in business success.
He talks about two types of imaginative faculties: "synthetic" imagination and "creative" imagination.
Through synthetic imagination, a person arranges old concepts, ideas, plans, and business models into new combinations. Now while nothing new is created, the new pattern yields surprising results.
For example, the self-help grocery store where customers do all the work of shopping is now very familiar to us, and we can't even remember when things were different.
However, the original business model was to have people come up to the counter of a shop and present their list to the sales clerk who would then run around the store and fetch it for them.
Now, with the use of aisles, clear directional signing, and shopping carts, the job of a store is to keep it stocked and check people out.
In fact, even this idea of checking people out is becoming obsolete, with many stores now offering people the option to check themselves out. Thus, the customer does all the work. Pulling out and wheeling the shopping cart, selecting products, and checking themselves out, and carrying their own bags to their cars.
The result of this arrangement is that everyone is happier. The customer gets to be in control of their shopping experience and the retailer can handle many more customers.
The creative imagination borders on the mystical.
Here is how Napoleon Hill describes it:
"Through the faculty of creative imagination, the finite mind of man had direct communication with Infinite Intelligence. It is the faculty through which 'hunches' and 'inspirations' are received. It is by this faculty that all basic, or new ideas are handed over to man. It is through this faculty that individuals may "tune in," or communicate with the subconscious mind of other men."
An example of creative imagination is the invention of the original recipe of Coca Cola, which went on to spawn the entire soft drink industry.
Business, then, is far from being a game of conservative rule-playing. It is humming with imaginative ideas on how to serve the marketplace. This aspect of business is seldom mentioned in the media and we are often mislead to believe that creative and synthetic imagination is only the domain of the artist.
The business person, especially the entrepreneur, who starts to exercise more imagination, will notice many more ways to make money, creating new channels of supply and demand for the marketplace.
Posted by billenross at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2008
GPS [Growth Plan for Success]
GPS usually stands for "Global Positioning System." But it could stand for "Growth Plan for Success." You need a plan to reach any stage of success, and success usually is a result of personal growth. Here are a few things to consider for your plan.
Thinking and acting positively is part of training yourself to feel and believe you are going to be successful. It is your self-fulfilling prophecy! But it will only work if you make it work. You need to create your own GPS, not one someone else has created. Others can give you suggestions, but only you can decide what will work for you and your circumstances.
Success is no accident, you do need to make a plan. First, you need to plan our your long-term goals. Decide where you want to be, and then you need to decide on your strategy and have an action plan for things you want to achieve and target dates for reaching those goals.
Set your short-term goals after you determine your long-term goals. Review them on a regular basis. Each successive goal should be just a little harder than you think you can manage. Always make sure you are aiming higher than you think you can reasonably reach at each stage. Even if you don't quite make that higher goal, most likely you will have accomplished more than if you had set your goal lower. Dream dreams, dream big dreams!
Your GPS needs to be a highly visible part of your life every day. It should be a written plan and be somewhere you can see it every morning. You need to review your goals, and review the steps you will take to achieve them. Every day you should pick at least one thing to achieve that takes you nearer to your long-term goal. Take one step at a time, one turn in a new direction at a time, but never stop moving forward, never lose your momentum. It is much harder to start over than it is to keep following your GPS. If you fail to keep sight of your goals, you will never achieve them.
If possible, create a dream board with the things you want to do or have when you reach your "destination." Be as specific as possible. The things you put on your board should be things you get emotional about when you think about them. Don't put a picture of money up there, put a picture of what you want to buy with that money. Think about why it is you want that "thing" you can buy with that money. Then, make a chart of the steps you need to take to reach your goals so that you can cross each item off as you complete them. This will give you a great sense of accomplishment and a realization that you are in control of your success every day by taking at least one step forward.
One way to help you believe in yourself and in your ability to reach your goals is to see yourself in the future one year, two years, or five years from where you are right now. Imagine yourself doubling your current income. How would that make you feel? What would you do with the extra money? What if you tripled your income? What would you do with all of that money? Chances are you may find it difficult to spend all of that money. But now you don't have to worry about paying bills anymore. The more "real" your vision, the deeper the desire becomes and the closer to your "reality" it will become. The universe will already be in motion to give you what you request if you just keep moving forward with your plan.
Make the best use of your time as possible. If you let fear hold you back, you will put off starting on your "trip", whether it be fear of failure or fear of success. Yes, you could actually be afraid to succeed, afraid of what your friends and family will think of you. Procrastination sets in and you may find yourself looking for any excuse to not get started. Maybe you need just one more cup of coffee or you have to read your email first. This is not the way to get to the "road to success." Get focused and get started. It just needs to be progress, it does not need to be perfect.
It's OK to be fearful, that is natural. Take on a task in stages and work out short periods of time to do at least a part of a task. Think of it as stepping stones on a path that you can only see a short distance in front of you. As you step on the next stone, the path in front of you opens up a little more. You don't have to see all the way to the end of the path, you just need to see the next stepping stone and keep moving along the path. Stay focused and don't allow distractions. Allow yourself peace and quiet. Put a sign on the door if necessary to let family members know you are hard at work on your "GPS."
Learn to work the plan, live with the plan, and see the plan as your roadmap to success. Don't treat it as an enemy--actually it is your best friend. Review your progress and goals frequently. Learn from your mistakes and grow with each step of the process. You will never be the same person in the end that you were in the beginning, whether or not you reach your ultimate "destination." Every successful step you take makes you a different person, with more knowledge and skills. Each unsuccessful step you take also makes you a different person, with a different kind of knowledge that will steer you in a different direction.
Make sure your plan allows time for you to enjoy the journey, to think about where you want to go, and why. Enjoy the personal growth you have made along the way. It is the journey that is the most fun, don't miss it while you look into the future.
Plan your future with a success plan, your own "GPS" that becomes your daily routine. Keep challenging yourself to improve your knowledge and skills to succeed, not just in business, but in life as well. Keep moving forward. You will find that success you are looking for.
Posted by billenross at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2007
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Posted by billenross at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)
September 22, 2007
That First Step
We all know it and we've all had experiences where we realized the truth of it. The first step is often the hardest one to take. Not necessarily because it is so complicated. Although in some situations it can be hard because so many things are unclear at the start. The main reason that getting started with something can be so 'difficult' is because to take that first step requires making a decision and then take it one step further by taking action on that decision.
This goes for babies as well as for adults. A child that starts to walk isn't sure if it can. After all walking is quite a balancing act. Especially if you've never done it before. The child already has the ability to walk. They have the necessary leg muscles and they also have a certain amount of balance since they can already stand. What they lack is confidence. It is mainly this lack of confidence that will keep them from taking that first step. Once the child discovers that it can move around quite easily, as long as they don't try to cross too much distance at once, they become pretty comfortable. Before you know it you wish they were back to their crawling days; there is no more stopping them.
You would think that we grow over this "lack of confidence" thing as we get older. After all, as we grow we develop the ability to reason. And that should give us the ability to make better assessments about what we can and can not do. Apparently this is a bit over optimistic. Our ability to make good assessments is probably slightly overrated. Most decisions, if not all of them, are still made on an emotional basis, not a rational one.
Of course the first step is often used as a metaphor. But taking this literal can help in driving this point home. Tony Robbins, in his Unleash the Power Within seminars, organizes firewalks for thousands of attendees at a time. In firewalking the first step is most definitely the hardest. After the fist step all you do is just keep on walking. You don't think about every step that you take. You just put one foot in front of the other and focus on the person standing at the other end of the burning hot coals. It's that very first step that takes all the courage. The other steps are merely an extension. It doesn't take much courage to keep on going once you've started walking. Stopping is pretty much the last thing on your mind.
It's like this with many other challenges in life as well. Many times we fuss about decisions; things we might want to do, know we should do but somehow just put off again and again. We dread what might happen if things don't turn out perfect. We worry about everything that can go wrong and we develop into masters at coming up with unlimited numbers of excuses. Of course we would rather call these "sound reasons for not moving forward". After all "excuse" is such an ugly word.
Even if you've done something similar before and you were successful at it, you can still get scared another time around. After all, circumstances could be different this time. Perhaps your performance isn't what it used to be. You could have gotten rusty in some areas. Maybe you were just lucky the other time. This phenomenon can even occur in firewalking. For example; imagine you're at a firewalk at a Tony Robbins event in London in February. Around that time of year it will be pretty cold outside. Due to the amount of participants, about 12.000 at such an event, it takes quite a while before you actually get to the burning bed of coals. They have set up the site in such a way that all the people can walk the fire within a 60 to 90 minute timeframe. Before you get to the fire your feet will be so numbed by the cold that you could hardly care less about some glowing coals under your feet. For a short while you may even consider slowing down your pace so you can warm your feet a little. Now take the same firewalk experience in June, when temperatures are a lot more pleasant. This time when you stand in front of the bed of coals your feet won't be numb at all, and you know it. The thought of storming across does seem a bit more challenging when you realize this.
Some doubt is fairly logical when you're trying new things. Even when you have proof that you've done something very similar before and succeeded, fear and doubt can creep back in and stop you dead in your tracks. But if you've done your homework. If you've properly prepared and you know the reasons why it will work, don't spend too much time worrying. It won't do you any good. Just focus on what you need to do and remember that after that first step it all gets easier.
Posted by billenross at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2007
How To Find Good Clipart and Photos For Your Projects
Whether you are writing an ebook, putting together an HTML newsletter, or setting up a personal web site, you may find that you need good, quality artwork, either illustrations (clipart) or photos.
There are generally two problems you may encounter when you look for clipart or photos online. The first problem is finding something that you can legally use. If you do not know that you have the permission to use a piece of art, then you probably do not. You can use work that you have purchased the right to or have been given the right to use. You cannot use your favorite cartoon character or a professional photograph of your favorite singer.
The rule of thumb in looking for graphics online is to look for royalty-free clipart and photos. This means you may use the work without paying a continuing royalty fee for use. You may receive the right to use the artwork free of charge, you may pay a fee to access such artwork (say $15.95 a month for unlimited downloads), you may pay for the right to use that particular piece, or you may agree to link back to the creator's site in exchange for the royalty-free use of the artwork.
The second problem with finding clipart and photos online is that good royalty-free art may be more expensive than you would hope. This is changing rapidly as sites like StockXchange, iStockPhoto and Dreamstime make it easier for photographers to sell their work and for consumers to find clipart they need.
The key to finding exactly the right art for your project is to have a very good idea of what you are going to need before you start. Think about color, shape, size and resolution (whether it will be printed or posted online makes a difference).
While you cannot predict exactly what you want without looking at some art and having an aha moment, you can know in general what you are looking for. When you find the right art for your project, try to get a low-resolution file (sometimes called a comping image), to try in your layout. This image cannot be used in your project and will have a very large visible watermark on it but it will allow you to see firsthand how it will look.
Especially if you have selected a fairly expensive image, this is a crucial step in deciding whether you have found exactly the right image for your project. It is surprising how often the "perfect" image looks positively awful once it is placed.
The most important thing may be to realize that you are not going to find the "perfect" image and just go for what you believe works. You may find something that looks great, but your are tempted to keep looking to see if anything else can be found that is better. The advice is don't!
Decide what you need, find something that fits the bill, and move on with the rest of your project. Otherwise you may spend a waste a lot of time searching for something that may not exist. The biggest obstacle to finishing a project on-time and on-budget is trying to go from great to perfect, when great is usually good enough.
Posted by billenross at 07:55 AM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2007
Customer Service: Top 10 Things You Should NEVER Do
If you're a smart business owner or manager, you know that to gain new customers and keep existing ones, your employees must continuously provide exceptional customer service. Unfortunately, getting that point across to your employees, who tend to lapse into a coma at the start of formal customer service training, can be challenging.
Because the use of humor often helps to make training more interesting (and therefore more effective), let's borrow a bit from late-night funny man David Letterman. Share the following Top 10 list with your employees to give them a chuckle--and sneak in a little customer service training at the same time!
"Top 10 Things You Should NEVER Do When Striving to Provide Exceptional Customer Service"
10. Post a sign proclaiming "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!"
9. Laugh hysterically when a customer asks if you can provide requested information by the end of the day.
8. Put a customer's letter in the bottom of your In Box (otherwise known as the Black Hole).
7. Think about your dream vacation in Bakersfield while a customer is explaining what he/she needs.
6. Set a new land speed record heading out the back door when you spot a customer approaching with an "I have a problem" look on his/her face.
5. Do your famous grizzly bear impersonation when a customer interrupts your real job by asking for help.
4. Say "I'm working on that right now" when a customer calls to ask about the status of his/her request--while you're reading a tabloid story about celebrities who give their babies weird names.
3. Put your customer's call on hold while you head home for the weekend.
2. Use the following nonverbal cues while expressing your desire to help: sticking out your tongue, rolling your eyes, shaking your fist, pounding your head on the desk.
And the number-one thing you should NEVER do when striving to provide exceptional customer service...
1. Answer every question with "It beats the hell out of me" or "You've mistaken me for someone who cares" or "Why are you still here?" or "The dog ate my brain."
Here's one more important customer service tip you should share with your employees: everyone they deal with is a customer. This includes their coworkers, their subordinates, and their superiors (including you), as well as the people who buy your company's products or services. You can easily adapt the above Top 10 list to internal customer service tips by substituting the word "coworker" for "customer."
Posted by billenross at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2007
Contact Management Software
In business, what you know about your prospect or customer could determine whether or not you make the sale. So tracking that information is paramount. Contact management software is designed to help you stay on top of all of your valuable contact information.
There are two types of contact management systems -- the personal ones designed for the individual or sales person who needs the contact's name and other essentials at his fingertips while on the road or phone. The other type of contact manager allows a number of people in a company to share and update information about prospects and customers. For larger companies, there are customer relationship management (CRM) systems with many features tied to a large data base.
What are the benefits of Contact Management Software?
Manufacturers say they are designed to improve the efficiency of your business by making your people more productive. A good contact manager can cut costs while increasing revenue. Also, contact management software can make it easier for a company to satisfy customer needs and provide better reporting for management oversight.
Typically, a contact management system lets you automate some customer relationship tasks. Some programs let you create a series of activities that are carried out in sequence as prospects are added to your sales funnel. For example, you can specify that a prospect receive a postcard on day one, followed by a sales letter, three days later, and then a phone call followed by another postcard.
All contact managers include a calendar system. And most let you attach a word document, spreadsheet or sales presentation, so you have everything in one place when you are communicating with a customer or prospect. More powerful CRM systems provide tools to improve a company's ability to forecast sales and integrate the sales and marketing function.
You have a choice between software that runs on your desktop or web-based solutions that you can access anywhere. Most solutions let you synchronize your data with a Blackberry or Pocket PC.
With so many options, how do you choose the right contact management software for your needs? Here are some questions to consider before you shop:
1. What functions would you like the system to perform?
2. How many employees need to be able to share the information? A Desktop solution might provide everything you need, but it might be easier for a far-flung sales force to stay current with a web-based solution.
3. Are you using some other system currently?
4. How soon do you need to implement the new system? Some contact management solutions have a steep learning curve or require programming expertise to implement properly.
5. Will you need the contact management system to integrate with your accounting software, Microsoft Outlook, or a data base?
6. Can you customize the system to fit the way your business is organized?
Armed with the answers to these questions, you should be able to find the contact management software that will work best for you.
Posted by billenross at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)
September 01, 2007
Outsourcing
As an entrepreneur, it is important to have continuous growth in your business in order to be successful. One of the ways that can help your business grow is outsourcing.
Outsourcing is when you choose certain business activities that you currently handle and then deciding to use an outside business source to handle the activity instead. This simple definition can bring peace of mind to an overloaded entrepreneur.
Case in point, as a web designer, clients may expect you to have the ability to create or install everything that revolves around the Internet. However, your skill set may not include some of your client needs such as creating an online shopping cart. So it would be good to find a business associate that you trust and outsource the online shopping cart to them.
However, make sure when you choose an outsourcing business partner that you keep the following things in mind:
1. Choose someone that you can trust not to steal your clients away.
2. Choose someone who has the same business ethics as you.
3. Make sure that this person has the skills to complete specific tasks before outsourcing to them.
4. Ask for client samples and references so that you can get feedback from their clients regarding their work habits.
5. Make sure to have a contract that includes a non-compete clause in it.
The list above is just a running start on some of the things that you need to keep in mind when outsourcing. After you have determined whom you will outsource projects to, make sure to have a service level agreement (SLA) with them too.
The SLA should fully explain your expectation of the type of service they will provide to your clients along with time frames for completing the projects. The SLA should be put in place the same time as the outsourcing contract.
Finally, you should make sure that you have a process in place for handling your outsourcing project. For instance, you need to include the following in your outsourcing to do list.
1. Client name
2. Outsourcing project details
3. Time line
4. Special requirements
There are other things that you may need to add to this list but the list above are the basic items that need to be included in your outsourcing to do list.
Now that you have a template for outsourcing projects, you can start planning for adding more clients to your business. Do not be afraid of outsourcing but embrace it and learn how it will free you up to do more with your business to grow it.
Posted by billenross at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2007
Mister Rogers Wins Big
In an age of inauthentic marketing and sales messages, it's refreshing to see a sales message that is real and truly authentic.
Think hype sells? Watch this...
Posted by billenross at 05:27 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2007
How Small Businesses Waste Money
Most business owners subscribe to the thought that you "must spend money to make money". This can be true, but you also must know exactly where that money is going and the results it brings. A small business owner never has any money to waste.
Some ways that your business might waste money includes the following:
1. Manage your credit cards - If you have several cards, develop a computer program that will show you the exact balances, due dates, and the interest rate you are paying. Always be aware of other solicitations that save you money and possibly change your balances over to a new company. If you have any employee cards, see if you can set a limit on them. If not with the credit card company, make sure that the employees know their limits. Manage your credit cards wisely and never, ever miss a due date.
2. Develop an annual plan so you know where you will spend money. This helps you in several ways. The business person will be aware of what portion of the profits are going to advertising, towards incentives, towards accounting and other internal expenses, etc.
3. Do not over-purchase any products or services for a business. If you buy in bulk, the money is tied up and a place must be provided to keep the extras and that might be costing money not needed to be spent.
5. A small business owner will sometimes be under self-induced stress to manage all aspects of the business. Sometimes, leaving the control and decisions to others that are qualified is the best way to manage the business. Releasing control may be hard to do sometimes, but in a lot of businesses, money can be wasted because the owner cannot possibly be as efficient as the person who has studied or is knowledgeable about a particular field. For instance, if a business owner does not know accounting, many mistakes in reporting income and taxes can be made. A qualified accountant can possibly save more than the cost of their services in reduced taxes.
Take a hard look around your business and do not let anything be set in stone if saving money is the goal. Challenge everything that will cost money and see what can be done to change the situation. Any money that is saved, is money that can be put back into the business either in profits or in growth.
A business owner wants their business to be successful and will work hard to sustain growth. A business owner wants a way to continue making and growing money from a product or service that is interesting to them. After growing a business and being smart with cash flow, many business owners will sell their businesses only to start another business.
The reason is that business owners are independent types and challenges are rewarding when met and faced. Saving money through every day operations will help the business owner to meet their financial and emotional goals.
Posted by billenross at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2007
Why Muti-tasking Sucks
When one thinks of great American businesses of the past names like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., William Randolph Hearst and a myriad of others come to mind. The great robber barons of old built businesses on the backs of hardworking employees that toiled for long hours and most often on wages and work ethics, most today cannot understand.
This was a time of innocence and growth as a nation. The rules of business back then were simpler and in most cases made a lot more sense as shown through business practices that made sense to the common man. Somewhere along the journey, though this set of ideals was replaced by people lacking the common sense business practices of yesteryear with people who no longer owned the business but by employees managing employees.
With this we have seemed to turn business into this great game of which way is the wind blowing today. Many American businesses are no longer run for the good of its owners but rather for a select groups of individuals that are more concerned with the closing price of their stock options today rather than what is best for the long-term health and development of the company over the long-term.
While our Asian counter parts plan for ten, twenty and a hundred years from now American businesses are stuck worrying about the next fiscal quarter. Out of this short-term philosophy come poor business judgments and even more foolish business practices. One such currently popular business practice known as multi-tasking is a prime example of the lack of common sense.
On the surface, multi-tasking sounds like the golden formula to solve all our competitive problems, someone doing two or three tasks at once will be able to do so much more now. Sounds great on the surface, right? While in theory this may sound like a good way to get more done and be more responsive to the ever changing world with all its mishaps and fires that must be dealt with it is not the nirvana it is made out to be.
When in practice this has to be one of the most ill-advised practices of modern business there could be. Why you may ask? Although the thought of the human robot doing multiple task at once like a computer running multiple programs at once sounds great on the surface the sad fact is humans are not computers and all the managerial pressure in the world is not going to change this.
Humans work best at one task at a time with minimal interruption. Every time we have to change tasks to do, something else creates an interruption, which in turn takes time to switch gears from and come up to speed on the new task. It is rather like having to restart your computer every time you want to do a new document or a new program for a moment if you had to do this how much would your computer get done in the day?
If every restart took just three minutes, this would add up to hours every week. Why then is it that American business loves this so much, because it is busy work people look like they are so busy and getting so much done when in essence if they were left to one task at a time they would get almost an extra days worth of work done in the same amount of time. So, lose the multi-tasking super highway and let humans' function humanely again.
Posted by billenross at 04:17 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2007
Business Networking For Stronger Sales
Every business depends on networking between employees and other stakeholders in the company to accomplish the goals of management. To be effective in a small business, you have to take a look at the way a corporation builds its network of clients and recruits their employees. Effective networking practices assure the highest profitability for a business. This is why human resources is such a high priority in the corporate world. A corporation draws its strength from its client base and the reputation it builds by recruiting the best and brightest employees.
If you are a small business owner, you have probably thought of expanding your business. The way to increase sales is done through either leveraging capital or human resources. To leverage capital, you would borrow money and invest it in your means of production. This might be better equipment, more employees or anything that would increase your productivity.
Most small businesses choose to leverage human resources. A good example of this is an affiliate program. The idea behind running an affiliate program is to offer other companies or individuals a monetary incentive for acting as agents to sell your products to the public.
This is a good example of effective networking because you have a built-in loyal workforce once you have hired your affiliates. The benefits to the merchant are increased sales, market share and product visibility.
Another popular form of networking is direct sponsorship in a Multi-Level Marketing organization. In this type of marketing plan, an individual sponsors many other people into an organization. Then he trains this group of people on how to sponsor more people into the organization themselves. This method results in a very large base of marketers working to sell products for the company. The original sponsor gets paid for his efforts by the volume of sales his team produces. The profit trickles down through the organization based on the number of people each group leader has sponsored and the sales volume achieved by each member of the group for the sales period.
Affiliate programs and MLM are not for every company. There are costs of maintenance, and a payroll to meet every month. The biggest advantage of using these programs is that a non-employee of the company makes every sale. This way the company does not have to pay the worker's benefits and Social Security taxes. Each affiliate or network marketer is an independent taxable entity. They are not employees of the company from a legal standpoint.
Business owners must decide for themselves the best way to expand their business when it comes time to do so. It all comes down to a cost per sale analysis. Finding the best way to capitalize your business always includes market research and weighing the benefits of your available options.
If you decide to use one of the methods outlined above, it is best to discuss this move with a qualified marketing specialist. Also hire a qualified accountant for taxes and payroll purposes. You may want to talk to other business people who have successfully made this change for more information.
Update: Just heard about a new business network. Marzar is a social media platform for businesses it has been described as a facebook for businesses
Posted by billenross at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2007
Business Cards
A business card may be the most overlooked advertising medium in the business world. But these simple rectangles of cardboard can be powerful tools to help any entrepreneur increase sales. Similarly, a poorly thought out or clumsily designed business card could be as much of a detriment for your sales as an "out of business" sign.
Business cards have actually been around for much longer than most people realize. The first ones, in the form of visiting cards or calling cards, were used in China about 600 years ago. They started being used in Europe approximately 200 years lager. When one aristocrat went out to visit another, the prospective guest's servant would deliver his master's calling card to the servant of the prospective host. An elaborate system of calling card etiquette developed and was followed by the gentry across England and France.
Today, anyone from North America or Europe who has gone on a business trip to Japan, China or other Asian countries knows there is very much a tradition of etiquette that must be followed when exchanging business cards in those countries.
But even if you are only going to be doing business in your hometown, you can help boost that business by following four tips before you have your next business cards printed.
2. Individualize. You are a unique individual, and your business card should reflect your unique personality. One easy way to do this is to put your photograph on your card. Of, if you are an artist, crafts person or photographer, why not put an image of one of your creations on the card? If you sell unique widgets, put an illustration of them on your card.
3. Proofread. Just as a wood worker should always measure twice before he cuts, every word should be double checked for proper spelling. Every telephone number should be dialed and every web address visited to make sure they are letter perfect before your card goes to press.
4. Use the back. Your business card has two sides, and you are missing a prime opportunity if you leave the back of your card blank. Instead, utilize that space to say what is most important about you, your business, product or service. It could be as simple as "bring this card in for a 10% discount." Or you could use the back of your card to show off testimonials from some of your satisfied customers.
There are several very good Internet business card companies that let you design your own cards online. In some cases, their shipping costs are less than it would cost you to drive to a local print shop and back.
Finally, if you only need a few cards, or if you want to experiment with different card designs, you can purchase perforated, blank business card stock at office supply stores and make your own cards using templates that come with many computer word processing software programs.
However your business cards are eventually printed, remember that they may leave a lasting impression of you and your business for many years to come.
Posted by billenross at 05:56 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2007
Small Business Marketing
Too many entrepreneurs and small businesses dive right into the thick of operations without following basic marketing principles. In business, as in most things, it pays to occasionally take a step back and evaluate the bigger picture. Drafting a very basic marketing plan can help you focus on the right activities, target the right customers and set the best prices.
Segmentation
Segmentation is simply a fancy way of saying that you need to identify your customer. Think of every possible customer. Now, start slicing that population into smaller, more defined segments (thus the name segmentation). It's best to start big here - for example: split individuals from businesses. Now, go into each segment and divide it further. You could split individuals further by sex, age, socio-economic status, geographic location, interests and hobbies and so on. At this point, try not to pigeon-hole yourself by prematurely selecting segments. Remember, you're trying to find meaningful groups of potential buyers that will exhibit similar buying behavior.
Your goal is to identify opportunities. Once you feel that you have subdivided the market finely enough, then you need to evaluate those segments. Try to quantify how large those segments are, how reachable they are and how unique they are from one another (i.e. is there considerable overlap from one to the next?).
Targeting
The segment you choose will have a profound effect on everything else you do. You need to carefully evaluate the most appropriate route for you business. When deciding between different market segments, you will want to try and identify the competition for that segment, the potential value of the segment (i.e. how large is it, how expensive will it be to reach it with advertising, etc.).
Positioning
You've segmented the market and you've chosen the segment that you are going to go after. The last part of your marketing plan will help you define how you are going to "position" your product or service to your selected target market. This is where you will invoke another handy acronym called the 4P's - Product, Price, Promotion, and Place.
Product
You need to focus your product towards your selected target. What do the people/firms in your segment want or need? If you are working with an existing product, you need to make sure it fits your intended target market. If it doesn't, can it be altered so that it does? It's critical to match the right product with the right customer.
Price
Pricing your offering is an art. You must consider many factors, such as the stigma different price points carry - for example, being too inexpensive sends a message that your product may be junk. It's also critical to consider the competition here. It makes little sense to target the same market with a similar product at the same price as your competitors. Entire books have been written on the subject of pricing. The important thing to keep in mind is that you can't lock yourself into a cost plus profit margin way of thinking. Instead, consider the price independently at first in terms of your competition and the value your offering brings to the customer.
Promotion
This is what most people think of when they hear the word marketing. As you can see though, it takes a fair amount of work before you get to this point. Promotion is simply how you intend to get the message to your customers about your offering. Will you use commercials, magazine advertisements, radio, the internet, mass mailings?
Place
Lastly, you need to think about how you will bring your product to market. This is sometimes referred to as marketing channels. That is to say, will you sell directly to the customer or will you sell to distributors or retailers who will then sell it to customers? Where geographically will you sell your product? Will you sell entirely on-line or in a traditional brick-and-mortar location?
Bringing it all together
You probably already have some or most of your marketing plan in your head. However, following this tried-and-true process can help you formalize your marketing strategy and can help you to identify holes in your business and it sometimes can help you identify opportunities that you might not have thought to exploit.
Posted by billenross at 06:10 AM | Comments (0)
June 28, 2007
Lead Generation
Let's start with a short definition of what lead generation really is.
Lead generation is a marketing term that refers to the creation or generation of prospecting consumer interest or inquiry into a business' products or services.
So this means that every conceivable business would participate in some form of lead generation. After all, businesses must make sales to stay in business so they are always looking for leads/customers.
Since lead generation is such a broad subject, we will concentrate on the various forms of web marketing lead generation that are:
1. Email marketing, e-zines, newsletters
2. Search engine optimization (SEO)
3. Pay-per-click (PPC), pay-per-lead (PPL), pay-per- action (PPA), pay-per-impression (PPI) and pay-per-sale (PPS)
4. Free classifieds and Free For All (FFA's)
5. Hire a lead generation company.
6. Buy leads from a Co-Registration lead broker
Let's discuss each of the above forms of lead generation.
Advertising in e-zines or newsletters are good avenues for acquiring targeted leads. You should subscribe to various e-zines to verify that the readers would be interested in your offer. Then select those e-zines you feel are targeted to your niche and place a solo ad, as sponsor ad or a classified ad.
Usually the solo ad is more expensive as this type of ad gets a full page or a separate mailing, whereas the sponsor's ad is about a quarter page and the classified ad is only a few lines. Your best bet is with the solo ad.
Costs vary greatly among e-zines. Obviously the total circulation of the e-zine guides the price of these e-zine ads, the larger the e-zine circulation, the higher the price per ad.
Search engine optimization (SEO), is the practice of designing your website to score well with the search engines and thereby get listed in the top ten of a designated search by viewers, is a daunting task. Competition is fierce for those spots unless you have a very narrow niche with a long tail keyword phrase.
In a PPC agreement, the advertiser only pays for qualifying clicks to the destination website based on a pre-arranged per-click rate. Popular PPC advertising options include per-click advertising networks, Google's AdWords or Yahoo's Search Marketing, and affiliate programs.
PPC is the process of writing a short, three or four-line ad to be displayed by the search engine, that contains the keywords on which you have bid money. Each time that ad is "clicked on" by a viewer; you must pay your bid amount to the search engine.
If you manage to convert enough of your visitors into sales, your PPC campaign will be profitable.
Pay-per-action is the action defined in a cost-per-action agreement that relates directly to some type of conversion, a sale being made or a registration of some sort is the most common.
In a pay-per-lead agreement, the advertiser only pays for leads generated at their destination website. No payment is made for visitors who do not sign up.
Pay-per-impression is a typical referral link/banner ad arrangement where the website wanting to purchase advertising space pays the host's website for each time it displays the ad.
Typically, prices are set per 1000 exposures and software is added to the hosting web server to track the number of impressions displayed.
Free Classified and Free For All advertising is not really recommended. These ads are not targeted ads and you are very lucky to receive one lead out of a 1000. Search engines have started to ignore links from Free Classified and especially the ones from FFA pages. You have better ways to spend your time than fooling with these unproductive methods.
Buying leads can be very costly. You have probably seen the ads claiming to "blast your ads to a zillion leads for only $29.95." You might just as well give that $29.95 to your favorite charity because you will not be getting anything back from the so-called blaster.
However, there is one type of lead purchase that has recently seen some success and that would be Co-Registration leads.
What is a Co-Registration lead?
Co-Registration occurs when someone registers for one thing (for instance, a membership or a magazine subscription) and then is offered more information on a related topic (such as making money from home). In another case, they might be visiting a website targeted to entrepreneurs and a pop-up asks if they would like related free information by email. Those who sign on are very good targeted leads as they have opted in to receive more information.
Once you have your leads opt-in to your own list, now you can pamper them, shower them with gifts and take extra good care of them because they are now your future.
You must gain their trust and once you have that, you have to live up to that trust by being honest and above board with them at all time. They will then buy from you again and again.
This is what it's all about.
Posted by billenross at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)
June 24, 2007
Are You Just A Product of Your Environment?
Most people don't particularly like the idea that they are merely products of their environment. But whether the suggestion in the title appeals to you or not, it describes the situation for most people pretty accurately. Most of our thoughts, emotions, actions, behaviors and habits are dictated directly or indirectly by our environment.
We would all like to think of ourselves as such a person and we all have the ability to be just that. But hanging around people who are just about the opposite, in other words: most people, won't do much good. It's not that much a question of whether or not you are a product of your environment.
The question is : Do you like what your environment has made of you?" Or even better, and certainly more accurate: "Do you like what you have allowed your environment to make of you?" If you do. Great! If not. You basically have two options; change how and when you allow your environment to influence you or change your environment. The former might seem easier, since it allows you to stay within your comfort zone, but it is in fact a lot harder than you might think. After all, if it were that easy you would already have done it.
Changing your environment can be easy enough, but it does take a conscious decision on your part. Your 'environment' or your 'peer group' usually consists of about five people. These are the people that you spend the majority of your time with and these are also the people that influence you the most. Like it or not. So if you're not satisfied with your results and you would like to change where you are in life, a change in your environment may be the smartest first step to take.
You could make achieving your goals and reaching success in life so much easier if you would just be a bit more choosy when it comes to the people in your environment. Take an active role in determining who is and who is not allowed into your peer group. Instead of just letting other people claim you for theirs. To some this may seem like a chore; consciously selecting who they spend their time with or posing as somebody else and pretending to be something they're not in order to fit in.
A lot of people also consider it to be unethical or opportunistic to apply this kind of selectiveness to determine who they spend their time with. Many people also mistake being selective in who you spend your time with for being insincere. As if you were taking advantage of someone else by spending time with them. Of course if you actually try to take advantage of someone, he or she will notice this sooner or later and when that happens, that person will no longer be a part of your peer group. However, if you sincerely want to get ahead in life there is nothing wrong with looking for people that can increase you chances of success.
The good thing about being around like-minded individuals is that you enjoy each others company because you think alike on at least a number of subjects that you both consider to be important. These people won't feel exploited by you at all. They'll probably enjoy your company as much as you do theirs. And you will have a lot less trouble filtering all sorts of negative influences from these people. Simply because they won't give you a lot of it.
They may give you a lot of constructive criticism or hold you to higher standards than you are used to, but they aren't likely to crush your hopes and dreams and try to de-motivate you. If you have a carefully selected peer group it's as if you have a whole team of security guards protecting the door to your mind instead of just one.
Of course this doesn't mean that you can't still spend time with the people you currently hang around. These people may still be very important to you. They may be close friends and family and by no means should you completely erase them from your life. Although in some cases that might not be a bad suggestions. It is important to realize that continuing to devote most of your time, attention and energy to them can seriously hurt you and your future.
As the expression goes: "Love your family, Choose your peers". If you really want to get ahead in life you better take that phrase to heart. After all, time is a very precious commodity of which all of us are only given a certain amount. We might as well spend it in an environment that is supportive to our goals and dreams.
Posted by billenross at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2007
Two Words that Separate the Online Winners from the Quitters
Ask five people what to do to be successful when starting a business and you will probably get five different answers. Everything from, "you absolutely have to have a business plan" to "failure is eminent without my new software." Although a business plan is very important and there are some very valuable software applications to grow a business, there is one aspect of success that seems to be very hard for many people to overcome.
Here's a story to illustrate the point. A friend, named Joe wanted to start an Internet marketing business. Before he began selling anything he hired someone to coach him. The coach did not have any really revolutionary ideas, pretty much the same as the other guru's but he was honest with Joe when he needed to hear the truth. Joe followed his instructions on researching profitable niches. Once Joe's coach emailed him with a suggestion that he thought would make it easier for Joe, but Joe responded saying that he thought the suggestion made by his coach was nearly impossible. Joe told him, "I cannot do that, it's too hard." The response from the coach was paramount to Joe's success. It changed everything for Joe. He replied saying, "Joe, if you think you can't then you're probably right."
Joe understood what his coach was getting at. Joe's own thoughts about what he thought he could and could not do were holding him back. Joe decided that very day that he could in fact do what his coach suggested to find a profitable niche. That's right, he made a decision that he could do it and that he would not give up. Not only did Joe find a very profitable niche, he found ten profitable niches. Joe quickly started his first internet business selling a hard good product and it turned out to be a total success. This rest as they say is history.
Ask yourself, what could you do if you removed "I can't" from your vocabulary and weren't hindered by what you think are your abilities. Joe knew nothing about the niche he started in and even so his business took off like gangbusters. He learned about his product as he went along. He didn't know how to build a website but he learned. Joe's success had nothing to do with a large starting capital because he started with less than $300.
Your success at any business venture has very little to do with talent, money you have to invest, knowledge about the product and a whole host of other excuses that people come up with about why they can't start an internet business. Your success does have everything to do with your determination to succeed and perseverance when challenges come your way. Now don't go and throw money down the toilet because you don't want to give up, please use common sense. If you haven't made any money after a couple months don't decide that online marketing isn't for you. Consider moving on to find another niche. There are millions of hungry buyers in thousands of niches waiting to buy. Keep plugging away until you find a need to meet in a specific niche and fill that need. It will only take a few months to get to know your market.
Every single month, there are millions of people searching for information on how to make money on the internet, yet less than 3% of those people ever actually make any money. The difference among those that succeed and those that do not is that the ones who make money don't back down when faced with the same challenges that all online marketers face. It comes down to this, you have to delete the phrase, "I can't" from your vocabulary. Don't be one of the 97% that give up right before you strike gold.
Posted by billenross at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2007
The Power of Sharing
It has been said that "If you give, you shall receive". This saying is often used to refer to giving of your time, your effort, your money or other material things before you can reasonably expect to receive any of these things from others. All of these things can be very valuable, but one of the most powerful things to share, and also one of the easiest, is thoughts and ideas.
When we consider sharing something, we often think of this as parting with something. Share some of your money and you will no longer be able to spend it yourself. Share some chocolate and whoever you share it with gets to taste this delicious substance, not you. At least you won't taste all of it. Sharing, in these cases, means parting with. It means you give something away that you will no longer benefit from directly. This is not the case with thoughts and ideas. When you share a thought or a good idea that doesn't mean you lose it. It doesn't even mean there is any less left for you. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite is true. You can truly be enriched by the thoughts and ideas you share with other people. Share some wisdom with someone else and now two can benefit from it. Even though there was no cost involved for you in sharing it, to the person on the receiving end it could represent a huge value.
Unfortunately we often try to keep things for ourselves in order to keep a competitive advantage. To 'keep the edge' so to speak. This is understandable and can sometimes be a good strategy. Certain information can be extremely valuable and if it really gives you this 'edge' then keeping it to yourself may be the smart thing to do. In reality however most of us don't possess any information that really offers sustainable advantage over others. The truth is that the real advantage in this day and age, with the Internet at everybody's fingertips, is no longer in any single piece of information. The people that have been most successful have done so by combining ideas and concepts into combinations that others haven't thought of. From this perspective not sharing your ideas may actually rob you of many opportunities and as such cost you a great deal.
In business, as well as in personal life, breakthroughs often come from a combination of ideas. Rarely is one man's creative idea completely fabricated by his own mind. The tossing back and forth of ideas and concepts usually plays a critical role in the development of new ideas. In discussing the potential application of a certain technology with a customer, this customer can come up with ideas that you would have never thought of. After all it's the customer's business and he probably knows more about it than you do. Especially when you're talking to an entrepreneurial type of individual. Most entrepreneurs are always looking for new opportunities to improve their bottom line and expand their business. Now why would he share his ideas with you if you haven't shared anything with him? Good question. You could of course turn the situation around; why share anything with him if he hasn't shared anything with you? Although this may be a fair question, it isn't really relevant. After all this is exactly the deadlock situation that hampers so much creativity. Of course there is always a risk of someone running off with one of your ideas. So it wouldn't be a bad idea to protect your idea or at least a part of it. You could for instance leave out some details that aren't necessary to paint the big picture but would surely be critical in bringing the idea to fruition.
The human brain makes connections based on our frame of reference. Since every persons frame of reference is unique it's possible for a group of 1000 individuals to listen to one and the same speech, talk or idea and yet, have all of them interpret it differently. As a matter of fact, this is not just possible, it will inevitably be the case. Since no two persons share the exact same background, body of knowledge and life experiences. These differences in interpretations could therefore lead to very different concepts and ideas a person could come up with. That is where one of the most powerful aspects of sharing comes into play. Your ideas may spark a new idea in someone else that you would never have thought of by yourself, which in turn sparks another idea in you that they would never have thought of by themselves. Of course this doesn't have to be a conscious sharing of ideas. Most of the time it will happen without you actually being aware of it. A thought will come up that you think is your own when in fact it was initially put their by someone else. In your quest for ideas your mind dug up this idea and perhaps linked it to some other fragments in your memory banks that, put together, formed a new breakthrough idea.
Even though this is mostly unconscious, it's still a good strategy to share more ideas on a consistent basis. Think of it like this; every time you share something a number of things happen. For starters, you deposit something into someone else's memory bank. You never know what this little piece of information, this concept will do for the person you share it with. Perhaps it does nothing for them but it eventually does for someone else they share it with. This person may or may not share something with you in return. But there is a universal law that states that: "If you give out, something is coming back". The law doesn't say that it's coming back on Thursday morning at 10.00, when you might need it the most. It just says "It's coming back". In many cases when you share something, that person will feel obligated to share something with you. Perhaps right away, perhaps a month from now. Not necessarily out of obligation, but out of human nature. This is the law of reciprocity at work. Whenever they share something with you, that concept will be stored inside your head. Perhaps you may not see an immediate use for it. In many cases you probably never will. However you never know when and in what situation their idea may turn out to be useful. Perhaps in combination with some other ideas that have yet to be shared with you by other people.
But guess what? If you don't share your thoughts with them, they may not share theirs with you. And because you didn't share you missed out on that one little idea that you needed to put everything in its place. Who knows how much you will miss out on because of that? It's safe to say that not sharing could cost you infinitely more than keeping it all to yourself would ever earn you. And that is just too much of a price to pay. So whenever you have the opportunity to share some worthwhile thoughts with another person, do so. It may work wonders, for you and them, and it won't cost a thing.
The best learning resource I've ever experienced about this topic was produced by Dr. Robert Anthony. My wife and I have listened to his audios dozens of times over the past two years, and every time we listen - we learn something new. His take on the Law Of Attraction is the only one that has ever made sense to either of us.
Posted by billenross at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2007
5 Quick Newsletter Tips
You know you need to stay in touch with the people on your list, but you're in two minds about starting a newsletter. Will it take up too much of your time? What if you run out of things to say? Can you maintain quality over a period of time? How long should your newsletter be?
Your first aim should be to offer useful or interesting information. (If you don't do that, you won't have subscribers for long!) Your second aim should be to keep your newsletter short. Remember that people are inundated with email these days - they actually prefer something they can skim quickly and then put to use.
Spend some time thinking about the best format. You need a model that will be easy to reproduce week after week, month after month. Any one of the following five ideas will make your job easier. Choose one and keep it as a regular format, or combine several of them (for example, you could use the "Tip of the Week" format for weeks 1-3 each month, and offer a checklist every fourth newsletter).
1. Tip of the Week
This one speaks for itself. You can easily brainstorm enough content for six months of weekly newsletters (you need to come up with 24 tips, which you will present weekly). Anyone with a degree of expertise on a given topic should be able to do this without any trouble. A handy way to organize this is to (a) explain the problem then (b) offer the tip which will solve it. Length? Anything from 150 - 500 words.
2. Top Ten
This is a tried and true format, and easy to create. Example: if you are an expert on finance, you could offer advice on the Top Ten Ideas for Getting Out of Debt, or the Top Ten Ways to Save Money on Car Expenses, or the Top Ten Tips to Pay Off Your Mortgage in Ten Years. Make sure you keep a tight rein on word length - just offer a couple of sentences for each tip, not half a page.
3. Three Ways to...
Sometimes it can be a bit of a challenge to come up with ten ways to do things, whereas just three ideas is a cinch. You can also explore three ideas in more detail. Alternatively, you can alternate the "Top Ten" format with "Three Ways to...” the two of them will work together nicely.
4. Before and After
Who doesn't like makeovers? This works in a similar way to 'Tip of the Week' in that you show the problem and then provide a solution, but the 'before and after' approach lends itself better to case studies. This is a good way to interact with your clients - invite them to send in details of whatever needs a makeover: an article, a website page, their wardrobe etc, then present your solutions. Alternatively, you can ask for 'before and after' examples from readers who have managed to do this themselves, then showcase it for the rest of your customers. (If you don't use HTML for your newsletters, you can add a link to a website page for the accompanying photos.) This works particularly well if you have a health and fitness related newsletter - your readers will be motivated by seeing the changes others have made through diet, exercise and weight training.
5. Checklists
When you're learning to do something new, there's nothing like a checklist to make sure you don't leave out a crucial step. Checklists can save a lot of time, and your readers will be delighted to get one. Write a brief introductory paragraph, present the checklist, and then follow it with a few final tips. You can either base your entire newsletter on the checklist format, or present one at regular intervals as a change from the standard article format.
Final tip: set up an address at yahoo or gmail just for newsletters. Spend a few hours checking out sites related to your own interests, and sign up for any free newsletters. Every so often, check your new email account and browse, looking specifically to see what approach other editors use for layout and articles. When you see a format you like, print it out and put it in an 'ideas' folder. Unsubscribe from any that are constantly filled with junk or endless sales pitches.
Posted by billenross at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2007
Media Training 301
Become a Partner, Not a Player
Every business owner should include getting publicity as a part of his or her overall marketing strategy. However, there is a lot more to garnering free publicity for your business than just writing – and sending – press releases.
You want to build a long-term relationship with the media, and become known as a resource, an expert in your industry. That doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen by accident. It takes time, careful planning and a strategy. The good news is that you don't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars, or hire an outside agency to do it for you.
Before you can start creating a buzz and building a successful publicity campaign, you need to know three things:
1. Why do you want publicity in the first place? Are you trying to build credibility? Let people know about your product or services? Create or strengthen your business's brand?
2. What is your message? When putting together your publicity campaign, you need to know what you're going to say and how to say it so that you achieve your ultimate goals.
3. What type of coverage are you looking for? (There are three types: Newspaper/visual, radio/audio, and Television/visual/audio). Of these three types, which is going to be the best way to get your message out?
Once you know where you want to end up, the next step is to create a roadmap that will get you there.
There's a famous saying that illustrates perfectly what you ultimately want to achieve: "If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying 'Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday,' that's advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk him into town, that's promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor's flowerbed, that's publicity. If you can get the mayor to laugh about it, that's public relations. And if you planned the elephant's walk, that's marketing."
Here are the "insider secrets" that will help you to become a partner, and build a solid relationship with the media so that you can "plan the elephant's walk" for your business.
1. Do your research before writing your first press release. Think about your story. Who is it going to affect, interest or impact? Is it strictly of local interest, or can you “hook” it to a larger event or happening? Is it a one-time happening, such as your grand opening, or a special event, or milestone? Is it part of an ongoing effort?
2. Create your own "hot list." Now, figure out which media sources are going to be most interested in your story. Start locally. Think of your local newspapers, television and radio stations. Include your local public radio station, college stations and any others that provide news stories in your list. (Special Note: If your story isn’t one that is going to be over in fifteen minutes, don’t forget organizations that publish newsletters! Think about your local Chamber of Commerce or organizations whose members or clients could also become your customers!)
Then think even further outside your "circles of influence." If you live in an urban area, there may be national affiliates like APR, etc that have stringers or offices nearby. Include those in your list.
Now look at online sources. Be thoughtful here. Don’t just send a press release to everyone. Sure, it may get published online, but it may also get dumped into a “news bin” on a thread where it is never seen or read.
In addition to the hundreds of news sources, think about your affiliations. Are you a member of a national society, or organization? If it is relevant to your story, mention that you’re a member, and then send a copy of the press release to them as well!
3. Make it personal. Now that you know which media sources you’re going to send your press release to, get on the phone. Find out the name of the specific person you need to send the press release to. (These is a step a lot of people skip over, but take my advice and don’t, because it’s one of the most important!) Remember the word "relations" in "public relations." Building any worthwhile relationship takes time and effort. You have to give something to get something.
If possible, talk to the reporter or editor personally. Introduce yourself, and let her/him know that you’re going to be sending him/her a press release. (If you're inexperienced at this, you can actually use that as an introduction and let him know that you want to get started off on the right foot). You want to find out the following information:
- The correct spelling of her/his name.
- How they prefer to receive the press release -- faxed or in the mail.
- How far in advance do they prefer that you send the press release?
Always make sure to ask what their deadline is. If faxing your press release is okay, get the fax number, and find out if the cover sheet should be addressed to the reporter or someone else.
DO NOT CHAT. This is not a social call. You are calling to get information, not a date. (Tricks of the trade: Get your Rolodex or PDA out while your talking to the reporter. Note all of the pertinent information so that you’ve got it for the next time. On the back of the card, or in the memo section, write down the date you spoke with them, and the reason for the press release.)
4. Once you’ve found your contact person, stick to them! Unless otherwise instructed, never send the same press release to more than one person in any organization or publication. If there is any confusion or duplicate coverage, it will be blamed on you, and you will lose your credibility.
5. Follow-up. Within a day or two of sending your press release, call and make sure that they received it. If not, be calm, and pleasant, and just say that you’ll send another one. Re-check your contact information, and make sure you’ve got the right address, fax number, etc. And then send it right away.
6. Never just send a press release the day of your event. It makes you look unprofessional, and you probably won’t get covered. The only exception to this is if you’re holding a press conference to make a big announcement that will impact many people.
Always plan ahead and give the media as much time as possible to decide how they are going to cover it.
7. Know Their Deadlines. I can’t stress this often enough. EVERY TIME you talk to a reporter, ask what their deadline is.
When you’re submitting an article or a press release to a magazine, call first and ask about submission deadlines. And then make sure that you send it in with time to spare.
Mark the deadline on your media info sheet, or your Rolodex, but check back with them periodically, because changes do happen.
8. Keep your promises. If a reporter calls you, and you don't know the answer to a question, or he needs something you don't have but you promise to get it -- do it. Always follow through and do what you say you're going to by their deadline.
9. Be professional. Offer to act as a liaison if the reporter needs to speak to other people in your organization or industry, and volunteer to provide additional research or background information. Put together an online pressroom on your Website, as well as offline media kits that you can send along with your press releases, or when needed.
10. Remember what your mother taught you. Be polite. Say please and thank you. If you read an article that a reporter has written and you liked it, send a handwritten a note and let them know. Be willing to provide information, resources or background material even if it doesn't directly benefit you. Building a solid relationship is about more than selling more widgets, and will pay off in the long run.
Posted by billenross at 09:49 AM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2007
How To Be Remarkable
Seth refers us to the Guardian for some tips on how to be remarkable.
Posted by billenross at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2007
Bob Parsons' 16 Rules to Live By
Bob Parsons credits 16 rules for propelling him from humble youth to his role today as CEO and Founder of GoDaddy.com. Now he's making those same rules available to you for display in your home or office. Available in three sizes, Bob's "16 Rules" were the source for many of his successes and can provide inspiration for a variety of circumstances in your life - today, tomorrow and for years to come.
Good stuff, read on...
1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."
2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.
3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."
4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."
5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."
6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.
7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."
9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched improves.
10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.
11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.
12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.
13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).
14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the cofounder of Sony, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."
15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.
16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time."
The above rules are republished with the permission of Bob Parsons (www.BobParsons.com) and are copyright ? 2004-2007 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved.
Posted by billenross at 07:42 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2006
How to Stay in Your Customer's Mind
Imagine the following scenario: six months ago you paid someone to come and do your gardening. You'd like to use them again but you can't remember their name and have lost their business card. You end up going to another gardener, which means that the first gardener has probably lost a customer for life.
How easy would it have been for that gardener to stay in touch with you by sending you a newsletter with gardening tips and product recommendations? If you're running your own business, you can't afford not to have a newsletter. Sure, it seems that every business sends out one nowadays but that is no reason to avoid using this invaluable marketing tool. It's an excellent way to build ongoing customer relationships, establish trust and build credibility.
The most cost effective way to send out a newsletter is by email. That way you avoid printing and mailing costs, and it's so much more immediate.
Here are 5 tips to using email newsletters as a way of staying in touch with your customer base:
1. Use the 80% 20% Rule
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is talking only about themselves in their newsletters. Think about the newsletters that you delete and the ones that you make the effort to read. Usually the most interesting ones contain solid information and tips that benefit you in some way. Think about what would really interest and help your readers and write articles on those topics accordingly. 80% of your newsletter content should directly benefit your reader. Only allow 20% of your content to promote your business.
2. Choose a schedule and stick to it
Consistency is the key when sending out newsletters. Whether you decide on a monthly or fortnightly newsletter, make a commitment to yourself to keep to this schedule. If your newsletter is good, your customers will start to look forward to hearing from you and you don't want to disappoint them, do you?
3. Pick a quality newsletter provider
A service like Aweber will provide you with the best in service at a very reasonable price. As part of signing up, you get free templates to use. Customize these with your logo and photo to add that personal touch. Aweber also manages people wanting to unsubscribe from your list automatically, which is a great time saver.
4. Plan your content
Instead of inwardly groaning when suddenly it's time to send out your newsletter again, why not brainstorm and work on some article ideas in advance? Think of your newsletter as an ongoing, fun project and it will be.
5. Put your sign-up box on your website
Make it easy for people to sign up for your newsletter by putting a sign-up box prominently on your website. Also invite people to sign up by putting a sentence at the end of your email signature, saying something like 'Sign up for my newsletter with the latest articles, news, tips and stories at '
The time and effort that you put into your newsletter will pay off dividends by increasing repeat business, and bringing in new business.
Posted by billenross at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2006
What is Your Number One Asset as a Business Owner?
As a business owner you have many assets. Your expertise, your client base, your brand, the list could go on. But what is your number one asset and how do you protect it?
It’s your health, of course. Without good health, your expertise, your client base and your brand will all suffer. You need good health to be able to function effectively, be creative, productive, to have enough energy to see projects through.
However, it is all too easy to neglect your number one asset when running your own business. Client demands, commitments, family life, crises, all compete for your time and attention.
You feel you can’t justify regular breaks during the day because work is piling up! You stay up later and get up earlier in order to stay on top of things. Perhaps you’re not even sleeping as well as you used to.
Did you cancel dinner out with friends because you simply didn’t have the time or energy? How about weekends, is work seeping into Saturday and Sunday? Are you grabbing fast food on the run just to save some time?
If any of these questions resonate with you it’s time to take action. There’s no need to make drastic changes straight away. Start by making small changes.
Take regular 15 minute breaks throughout the day for a quick stroll outside, or for sitting quietly doing nothing. Rather than wasting time, you’re actually going to be saving time because when you get back to work you’ll be so much more efficient and productive.
Exercising regularly will enhance your energy levels and general health immensely. It doesn’t even have to be slogging it out at the gym or running. Thirty minutes of walking a day will greatly improve your sense of wellbeing.
Make sure you’re getting at least 7 or 8 hours of good sleep a night. Reduce the amount of caffeine you drink during the latter half of the day so that you’re sleeping more soundly.
Staying connected to your friends and family is essential for balance. Schedule time out to share laughter with friends over dinner and enjoy a game of frisbee in the park with the kids. Don’t let your hobbies and other interests slide because of your business. If you like reading, relax and read books that aren’t related to business!
Make a commitment to yourself that at least on one day of the weekend you don’t turn your computer on at all, you don’t go into your office, you don’t even think about work!
Eating good, nutritious food and drinking enough water are vital to your health. The time you invest in making the right food choices and preparing healthy meals will pay off in dividends.
If you put just some of these tips into action over the next few weeks, you’ll definitely be protecting your number one business asset and feeling the benefits. Take that 15 minute break now, you deserve it!
Posted by billenross at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)
September 30, 2006
Business Referrals
If you could triple your business referrals with nearly zero effort, would you watch an 11 minute video that shows you how?
Are you a business professional who is struggling to generate more referrals? Do you offer great products and services to your clients and customers, but they just don't seem to refer you to their friends and associates? If the answer is, "Yes!" then you need to check this out - Get Business Referrals
Posted by billenross at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)
August 31, 2006
Seven Steps to Cold Calling Follow-up
Let’s say you’ve had a great conversation with a prospect. They’ve shared their problems and seem genuinely interested in what you are offering. You’re excited about following up with them – but your calls aren’t returned. What’s happening?
Well, the only way to find out the truth of the situation is to ask them. However, before you do, let’s stop and consider some important points. You must approach this in a way that invites trust and diffuses the barriers to comfortable communication.
Here are seven important steps to follow:
1. Don't assume the sale.
Prospects are used to the traditional buyer-seller relationship. They assume you’ll pressure them. Therefore, they may decide not to tell you things that make them vulnerable to pressure. Until you’re sure you know the complete truth, you can never assume the sale is yours.
2. Keep making it easy for potential clients to tell you their truth.
Toward the end of your conversation, ask, “Do you have any more questions?” If the answer is no, follow up with the 100% final truth gathering question: “Now, are you 100% sure that there’s nothing else that I can do on my end to make you feel more comfortable with this situation?”
You’ll be amazed how often people will reply, “Well, actually, there’s one more issue...” It’s at this point that you really start to hear their truth.
3. Call back to get the truth, not close the sale.
Most potential clients who suddenly disappear expect you to chase them down. They expect you to call and say, “Hi, I was just wondering where things are at?”
Instead, eliminate all sales pressure by telling them you’re okay with their decision not to move forward, based on their not having called you back. In other words, take a step backward. Most of the time, this will open the door to a new level of trust-filled communication.
4. Reassure them that you can handle a “no.”
Of course, we’d rather hear a yes. However, the only way to free yourself and your clients from subtle sales pressure is to let them know that it’s not about the sale – it’s about the best choice for them. If that means no sale, it’s okay with you.
5. Ask for feedback.
Whenever prospects disappear, call them back (e-mail only as a last resort because dialogue is always better). Simply ask, “Would you please share your feedback with me as to how I can improve for next time? I’m committed to understanding where I went wrong.”
This is not being feeble or weak. It’s being humble. This invites the truth.
6. Don't try to “close” a sale.
If your intuition tells you that the sales process isn’t going in the direction it should be going (which is always toward greater trust and truth), then trust those feelings.
Make it safe for prospects to tell you where they stand. It’s simple. All you have to say is, “Where do you think we should go from here?” But be prepared because you might not want to hear the truth of how they’re feeling. You can cope with this by keeping your larger goal in mind, which is always to establish that the two of you have a “fit.”
7. Give yourself the last word.
Eliminate the anxiety of waiting for the final call that will tell you whether the sale is going to happen. Instead, schedule a time for getting back to each other during your conversation. This eliminates chasing. Simply suggest, “Can we plan to get back to each other on a day and at a time that works for you? Not to close the sale, but simply to bring closure, regardless of what you decide. I’m okay either way, and that’ll save us from having to chase each other.”
You'll find that these suggestions make selling much less painful because you stay focused on the truth instead of the sale. The truth is, the more we release the idea of needing to make the sale, the more sales we will likely see.
Ari Galper is the founder of Unlock The Game™, the only selling program that completely eliminates pressure from the selling process. His Unlock The Game™ Sales Program has helped thousands of entrepenuers and sales professionals worldwide.
Visit Cold Calling Made Painless to take a Free Test Drive!
Posted by billenross at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2006
Using Third Party Credibility
It's no secret that the best form of advertising is word of mouth. Always has been and always will be. Even in today’s information age, where it's nearly impossible to shield ourselves from the daily blaze of information coming at us through various media channels. Mass marketing communication has pervaded pretty much all areas of our lives, but still it lacks the power of good old word of mouth.
The direct selling and network marketing industries were built upon this foundation and both are thriving these days. One of the reasons for this is that as we are bombarded with mass communication messages, the value of a more personal message from a trusted source increases. Traditional companies are starting to pick up on this and are trying to implement programs to stimulate word of mouth by their existing customers. For many companies this transition proves to be slightly more difficult than they anticipated - hardly a surprise to those that have been successful in that area. The approach to using good word of mouth advertising differs very much from regular advertising.
Even though there are many differences between regular marketing and word of mouth, there are also some important similarities. One of them is the power of the use of a third party. Of course it's nice if you say how great your company is and how wonderful your products and services are. But that's kind of like your mother saying you're such a nice person. It's not that it's not true. It's just that the source isn't considered to be very objective. A third party is. It doesn't necessarily mean that the third party is completely objective but at least it's considered to be at least more objective than your mother, or your company, or you.
In everything we do, we seem to have a natural tendency to follow the people around us or people we look up to. Since the latter aren't always present we usually reside to the people around us. Another tendency most people have is to distrust the seller or at least question the truthfulness of what they're saying. These two tendencies combined lead to a situation where almost all our purchases are driven largely by what the people around us say and think about certain products and services. When the selling party advises you on a certain purchase he or she usually has an interest in making a sale and therefore may not be completely objective. When a neighbor gives you advice, you don't worry about this and therefore you find it easier to trust him. Your neighbor just served as a third party.
We generally tend to like testimonials better than commercials, probably because they don't involve hard selling, or at least not to the same extent. The impact of a good testimonial is a lot bigger than that of an advertisement. Especially when it is delivered by someone we know and respect. So the point is to find a third party that can endorse you or refer people to you - preferably someone that has credibility. This point is well understood by many network marketing companies. After decades of aggressive growth this industry still deals with something of a credibility issue. Of course to anyone that has done their due diligence, the validity and opportunity of network marketing should be crystal clear. Unfortunately for many individuals in the industry, most prospects haven't done their due diligence and wouldn't even know where to begin. That's where the importance of third party credibility comes in.
Some network marketing companies have earned endorsements from people that are widely recognized as successful and are using their influence to boost company growth. They know how people will react to an endorsement by a world famous millionaire or even billionaire; "If successful people like that say it's OK, it probably is...” This phenomenon can be seen in every business, in every country and in every city. The opinions of the movers and shakers in any area just seem to have more effect on people. The point is whether you're in network marketing or in a traditional business, using third party credibility can greatly improve your results. Unfortunately very few people seem to actively use this strategy.
If you are in business for yourself you can at least see if you can take advantage of this. Get some testimonials from your existing customers, especially from those customers that seem to have some influence in the community.
Try to find out what kind of person would be good match for your prospective customers. Determine some characteristics and then search your existing customer base to see if you can find any people meeting these criteria. If you do, simply contact them and ask them if they would help you out by sharing their story. In most cases you won't have to compensate them for this, but it wouldn't hurt if you did a little extra to make it worth their while. After all, you're asking them to help you out.
If you can't find a suitable candidate amongst your existing customers, try the rest of your network. Perhaps you can find some people there that aren't buying from you yet, but would be happy to become your customer and endorse you. In this case you would probably have to do a little more in the form of compensation to sway them.
Perhaps you could throw in a discount or provide a part or all of your service free of charge. Yes, this will cost you some money, but it's probably a lot cheaper than running an ad in the local newspaper. And it will probably generate a lot more business for you.
Posted by billenross at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2006
Constructive Life vs. Destructive Life
Which life do you lead? Do you consider your life to be constructive or would you describe it as destructive to you and all around you. Both result from a chain reaction, one leading to a downward spiral and the other leading to an upward spiral.
Living a Destructive Life...
What do you remember about your childhood, early adulthood? Is it failing exams, being told off for not going to school, failing your driving test, leaving your first job because you kept making mistakes and thought they would probably sack you anyway....?
This perception of your early life can only lead to a negative self image. Your subconscious mind constantly focuses on these negative situations. When a new situation comes into your life, say you get a new job; your subconscious gets to work analyzing this new set of information. It takes it apart and compares it to what has gone before.
'...only stays a maximum of 18 months in a job so will have to move on in a year or so.'
'...had trouble with the boss in most past jobs so will have trouble with this one.’
'...got on with colleagues for the first six months then relationships went downhill so will have problems with colleagues by the end of the year.’
Your subconscious mind does not rationalize - it simply takes the facts that have gone before and acts on them. In this case it sees a new job as something temporary and tells your conscious mind that you should expect all of the problems you have had before.
This leads to a negative perception of your job. A negative perception leads to lack of confidence, lack of motivation and ultimately depression. What chance does your new job have - none! This will impact on your wider life making it harder and harder to get what you want in life - so you sink deeper and deeper into depression.
Living a Constructive Life
What do you remember about your childhood, early adulthood? Is it playing with friends and siblings, holidays you have enjoyed, getting a mention from your teacher because you took an injured dog you found in your garden to the vet, getting your first job...?
This person's subconscious mind is very busy! Busy relating new situations to all the good things that have gone before! If this person decided to set up their own business their subconscious would be saying something like this:
'..Well this is new but I have been successful in my career so far so I will just use those skills and experience to succeed in my business.’
'..I will have to find new customers but that is OK because I have always been very good at developing customer relations.’
'..Once I am up and running I will need new staff but that will be fine because I have always got on well with the people reporting to me.'
What do you think is happening in this person's life? Because they are focusing on success, they are looking forward to achieving it. This makes them feel motivated, which in turn leads them to take action. This action gets results so they feel more motivated (and happy!) and so it goes on.
Which life are you leading?
Posted by billenross at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2006
Internet Marketing Course
It's not often that I am surprised by something I see online. And it's even more rare that I stumble upon a book or resource that causes me to literally stop what I am doing and write a letter to everyone I know.
But I just discovered that Howard L Moreland -- probably one of the best-known and most well-respected experts on the subject of web-building and Internet marketing -- has just released all the details & secret source tools that allow him to make as much as $500,000 a year from a single website -- "automatically" -- and how he's able to create such sites starting from scratch, and all within just a few short hours!
>> *Often building 10 to 15 such sites in just weeks – making Howard $*millions*$!
The truth is, I still can't figure out exactly WHY Howard has made this information available, since it gives everyone -- including his competitors -- the chance to steal the secrets he's spent the last several years perfecting -- particularly the last 2 most of all!
He shows you everything from growing a super-profitable web-empire as quickly as possible, to generating the highest possible revenue from having several sites working for you "automatically" at once, to how to explode your business virtually overnight -- all with mostly free (yet very effective) tools and resources -- and even FREE ads, both online and off! ...
He also provides you over 200 million places to advertise profitably for FREE, and for any site you create!! -- All instantly accessible to you with instant online links which makes placing all your ads for free "easy & fun"...
His years of testing are going to completely eliminate all of YOUR guesswork!
The thing is, the Internet industry HAS changed dramatically over the past few years. And while company after company has gone out of business just trying to keep up with all these changes, Howard has continued to generate over $3.7 million every year with what he's just giving away to you now for next to nothing!
And this book and super-resource shows you step-by-step what Howard has already done and continues to do, and precisely how he does it so you can take his strategies and model them to create your own super-online success.
Plus, with over 200 million places to promote your site, and an additional 15,000+ instant links, I was especially impressed by the way Howard's book is unlike any other as you can use it to start making money off the Internet literally within just 5 short minutes of having opened it up -- and tested -- all the resources and links for your very own instant use, and your own business.
I still think that Howard's going to regret giving all this information away, so I would advise you to grab this book while you can! It really does provide you everything you need to do in order to grow your business successfully and explosively with the Internet – plus over 200 million free ads instantly.
Find out how to make money online here!
All the best...
Bill Enross
Posted by billenross at 12:08 AM | Comments (0)
May 27, 2006
Success - Why Action Achieves Results!
Success in any entrepreneurial endeavor is contingent on a simple truth: Learning does not always require thinking.
Actually, thinking often hinders learning. Hinders learning? That flies in the face of most of what we know, doesn't it? As children we were often reproached when we made mistakes: "You just weren't thinking! Don't you ever think about what you're doing?"
Then there's the most successful personal development book of all time telling us to do what? ...That's right, "Think and Grow Rich". True it is a fantastic book and a must read for success minded people. But many of us get so tangled in thoughts that we can't get out of our "heads" and take the action required for success.
Socrates, one of the greatest "thinkers" of all time, said, "Action equals knowledge." Action, not thinking, is how we achieve results. Take playing the piano for instance. We could think about playing the piano but we will never become better until we start pecking away at the keys. If you were to ask an accomplished pianist to think about what they are playing in the middle of a rapturous concert, the music would probably fall apart into a series of painfully disconnected notes.
Same is true with typing. Ask a person who flawlessly types over 70 words a minute to think about the key strokes, and you could probably watch the mistakes pile up. Thinking hinders execution. Thinking can hinder success. The fact of the matter is we can intellectualize all we want, but until we take action we will never accomplish anything.
There is a mantra in the martial arts that says "Ready, Fire, Aim". Simply put, this means take action and correct that action as you go. It is quite probable that many businesses never get out of the starting gate because of over-thinking and over analyzing. Most people want all their ducks to be lined up in a row before they begin. This will never happen. The time will never be perfect. The key is to get started and then "keep on keeping on."
In the martial arts, students practice moves over and over and over again. They train their bodies to transcend thought and take action in the moment. Imagine a trained martial artist getting attacked on the street thinking, "Hmm, okay I'm being attacked. Should I turn my body this way or should it be the other way? Okay, now I have to trap the assailments arms, tighten my fists, pull back, and strike."
Of course this is not what happens in the martial arts. The key teaching in the martial arts is to ACT. NOW! ...In spite of the mind's tenancy to analyze the situation.
The worst kind of thinking is fear of failure. The "What if" disease. "What if I fail? What if people laugh at me? What if I lose all my money? What if, what if, what if?
Fear is paralyzing. It stops the movement necessary for success. Fear weakens our resolve, cripples our creativity, and ultimately stagnates our successes. Conversely, movement overcomes fear. When struck by fear, move. Do something!
So, don't wait to explore your entrepreneurial spirit; take action now. When those pesky thoughts creep up, and they will, scare them away with the mantra, "Don't think, don't think, don't think, don't think..." and watch your dreams and goals cascade toward you.
What is the bottom line? "Don't think and grow rich."
Posted by billenross at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2006
Tired of Your J-O-B?
If you're working a regular j-o-b and tired of the daily grind, you may be thinking how great it would be to have your own business and be your own boss. Or maybe you probably have ideas about how you could manage the job or department better. Soon you're thinking it would be great to start a business of your own and run it the way you like. It might surprise you to learn that thoughts like these are quite common.
Starting your own business is not easy no matter what you've heard. Some people are in the right place at the right time and the stars are aligned and suddenly, they're a success. Stop and think how many people you know that have been this lucky. It's very rare to succeed the first time and in fact, many wealthy people don't succeed until they've created or lost one, two or three businesses. The very reason they are a success in their own business is because of the failures they have had or great obstacles they have had to get past.
There are other people that have started their business only to find out later that it's actually worse than the j-o-b they had. This usually occurs when they have either failed to plan or have left out an integral part of the business plan. One of the most important steps in planning is your vision; not the vision of your success, but how you will get there.
For instance, it it's your dream to own a storefront, you'll have to consider the regular hours of the other stores in the location you're interested in. You'll have to be in your store, ready for customers usually six days a week, eight hours or more each day. If you're not open when regular foot traffic occurs, you'll lose money unless you find another way to bring in customers. And don't forget the extra hours you'll put in for bookkeeping, cleaning, organizing, etc., all time away from your family and friends.
Many people are giving up their j-o-b for the excitement of working from home, preferably in their pajamas. Usually, this involves doing business on the Internet or creating and selling services or products locally. Doing business in your neighborhood means you have to get to know a lot of people, either personally or through their business and related organizations. And doing business on the Internet is just another way of distributing your service or product.
To market your own service or product involves selling. Unless you're someone who could sell anything to anyone, you're going to need a lot of training and experience to make a sale. Even selling something you use and recommend yourself is quite difficult if you're not a social animal.
If you have an idea for a business that you run from your home, you'll have to consider the local zoning laws and association by-laws when applicable. Having employees arrive to your home could get you complaints from your neighbors or even worse, a violation when they call the city or the association to file a complaint.
Now let's think about when you'll make a profit. It takes time and money to establish a customer base and you will need enough money to support your business and yourself in the meantime. What will you do if it takes longer than you anticipated? Best to have a backup plan in case this were to occur.
If you're still interested in starting your own business, the key will be to know your target customer. Find out everything you can about them and make sure you are targeting them in your advertising and with the quality of your product or service.
If you're selling business-to-business, you will want to advertise in their publications, join the same organizations and generally hang in the same circle of business. If you're doing business with the public, direct your advertising efforts to local direct mail and neighborhood publications. People generally read local periodicals to know what's going on in their area. Writing an article for one of these publications is even better. And those direct mail coupons for residences are usually opened when received.
Running your own business is nothing like having a j-o-b with someone always assigning your next task or project. You will have to make those decisions yourself and make sure customer service is not affected along the way.
Once you have your business set up, it's going to take a lot of nurturing and long hours. Be ready for the day when you think all is lost and find a way to push through. If you don't push through these difficult periods, you will lose the business. For those having the ability to continue to push through, the rewards can be fulfilling and sometimes lead to surprising wealth.
Posted by billenross at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2006
Women Business Owners - The Power of Guided Multi-Tasking
Multi-tasking is a natural aspect of business for women business owners, especially those with families.
The fact is if you are a woman business owner, you are most likely already a multi-tasker of epic proportions. You know how to combine family, childcare and business tasks as a matter of course. Whether it's carpooling, deliveries, and business errands, or phoning clients, babysitters and arranging multiple schedules, you think in terms of multiple areas of impact most of the time.
When your business is in your home you have additional challenges and benefits which your multi-tasking abilities can make work for you. You can handle household chores and meal preparation in between appointments, phone consultations, or writing that new piece for your monthly newsletter. You routinely make decisions which involve multiple areas of your life more or less simultaneously.
Taking that next step of how to apply your natural ability to enhance your business success is not so difficult, but it does require a new focus. You have to start thinking in terms of the various areas of your business the same way you think of the various areas of your life. You have to step back and get a little wider view of things.
The best way to do this is to set aside some quiet time when you will not be disturbed and really take a look at what it is you want your business to accomplish, in what time frame. Using the backward planning approach works very well.
Once you have developed your general goals, rework them into specific targets. In other words, take the generalized goal, say of "X number of new clients by X" and develop the set targets you'll need to accomplish to reach that goal.
A project plan (target list) and work chart can be a very helpful tool for the next process of breaking down each target into the associated tasks required to fulfill each objective. Using these two tools, you can create the work chart for each specific area, and then see how the various targets are related. For instance, a new promotional pack for your business will have various components: brochure, logo, support materials, testimonial letters, perhaps a multi media presentation. Each of these items becomes a block in the project work chart, and completing portions of any one may provide materials for the others.
Once you have accomplished this you will have a clear picture of all the tasks required for each area of your business. Now the process of checking in on the larger picture as you work each day becomes a simple matter of using these tools to keep you on track.
Target lists and project work charts are tools often used by engineers as they develop a new piece of equipment, hardware, firmware, or software. First the targets or functions of each piece are defined and then the steps to creating each working component are laid out. By following this method, the relationships between the various targets, or, in this case, components of your business plan, are visible and easily identified.
This avoids getting the cart before the horse, or working on portions of the plan that cannot be implemented without other components also being in place.
The next step is to integrate the project work charts into a daily system of self check as you naturally group your work according to like tasks which can be accomplished in clusters of multi-tasking events. In this way you can significantly increase your progress and your business will thrive.
Once you have clearly charted targets for the business you can start to apply the multi tasking skills you aridly have to what needs to be done to make the targets happen.
The next step to optimizing your multi-tasking is to ask yourself where you do your best work. What gives you the most energy and creativity? What is the most difficult for you to tackle of the things that require your attention?
A professional counselor, in the midst of changing her business from one based on individual clients to seminars and group events met the challenge of having to think in ways unfamiliar to her by relocating her new event planning activities to her kitchen! She recognized that her most relaxing and enjoyable activity was preparing fresh foods for family and friends. When she moved her event planning to the kitchen, her natural confidence and creativity in that environment enabled her to expand her event planning thinking much more easily than she could in her office.
The food and her pleasure in its preparation, as well as her sense of well being and confidence in this environment gave her the creative energy she needed to expand her thinking and create new and different events for her clients. By providing herself with the support of her naturally creative environment, in this case cooking, she added to her creative power in an area where she had less strength and experience.
Often, by breaking up more mundane tasks with those which are more creative or inspiring, it is possible to keep your energy level higher than if you were to attempt to force yourself to do the "boring" task alone.
Learning your own personal rhythm and areas of your own natural creativity and enthusiasm and thinking in ways which allow you to tap into those parts of yourself you can greatly enhance not only the results of your work, but the sense of well being you find in your work.
Finally, as a multi-tasker, there is some danger that you can become too diversified and lose the focus and clarity of knowing what is most important in your business and in your life. By implementing target lists and project work charts as a guide to daily actions and updating them as each new target is complete you have a simple and effective system for starting each new day, and for meeting all your business objectives.
The daily action of a quick review of the target list and work chart also provides the added benefit of stimulating new ideas and inspirations to continue enhancing your multi tasking skills, keeping your work fresh, interesting and exciting.
Posted by billenross at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2006
Time Management - How to Control Your Time
Around midnight students across the country become record setting authors by finishing essays, and study groups for tests in unheard of time. This unnerving process often leads to below average results. Many people wonder why this is happening. The answer is poor time management. A few pointers on how to avoid such a scenario follow. Before you read more, be sure to give yourself a few minutes of time in case you're cramming for something right now, you don't want to miss something important.
Make lists early and often to become experts at time management. Lists that will be available to you for reference can be recorded anywhere. Studies prove the more one makes lists the more apt they are at logically completing tasks. Further, lists can provide people with a realistic look at their workloads. Often people will put more on their plate then they can chew. Sometimes it takes a list of all the foods on the plate for the stomach to get the picture.
The mind works the same way, often we need to see things all together on one comprehensive list to understand the magnitude of it all. If you create detailed lists you will be able to budget out the assignments thus avoiding the common scenario outlined above. When making lists be sure to include everything categorically so nothing gets missed. If you are making a list of things to do, make sure even the laundry and dishes make it onto the list so you don't forget to budget time to do those tasks. Once the list is created, make a potential schedule to execute the duties on the list. If you have a small list it might just take a few minutes to complete, larger lists can take days, months or even years. So plan in advance.
Keep to appointments to avoid a scheduling traffic jam. The more you put off appointments the harder they can be to reschedule. If you are a busy person, like most of us, you have a lot of daily commitments. By missing appointments you create more pressure on your other appointments. Further if you miss multiple appointments you may just start doubling your schedule, this was explained to me one time as when you schedule two things for the same time frame. In terms of results, this is not a good plan. Imagine if you had coupled your dentist appointment with studying for a big exam. Not good time management at all. Most likely bad results are to follow, so be sure to keep appointments at all costs.
If you can make lists, and keep appointments your time management skills will increase greatly. When in doubt think of your time as something that can be on your side if you choose to master it, rather than just ignore it.
Posted by billenross at 03:04 PM | Comments (0)
May 20, 2006
If I Had Only Known Then What I Know Now!
Hindsight, we all know only too well, is a wonderful thing. For example, if we had only known that the ceiling on membership at a popular site was going to be subscribed so quickly - we would have joined up the minute we heard about it.
If we had only known that niche marketing was going to be so wildly popular we would have focused on that instead of MLM.
If we had only known that Google was going to change its algorithm and the rules of AdWords were going to change we would have...
Stop.
Stop, stop, stop.
In the world of Internet marketing, you can safely bet that the only constant is the rate of change! There's always news of the latest product dropping into your email inbox. There's always another promise of quick and easy money. Google will keep changing its algorithm, and new search engines are quite likely to pop up to challenge Google.
What can you do about this? Four main things:
(1) Continue To Educate Yourself.
Understand that those who rise to the top of any field - whether it's internet marketing or something else - are good at what they do. This means that they never stop learning. There are always new materials, new techniques and probably new 'experts' showing the way.
Most of us learn in three main ways: (a) from experts who specialize in a certain niche related to our field; (b) from others who are following the same path as we are, and (c) by trial and error, from our own results.
You will find that the more you immerse yourself in the world of internet marketing, the more you will be able to analyze which products, services and opportunities are right for you.
(2) Focus. Pick One System And Give It A Fair Go.
Countless people who start out on the internet with high hopes follow the same pattern. They get excited about a new product or system. They throw themselves into it and invest long hours (and potentially quite a bit of money) in getting it up and running. It might be e-books sold from mini-sites; it might be setting up an eBay business; it might be directory-type sites with text manipulators; it might be AdWords or content sites optimized for AdSense.
Then one day they get wind of another new system (probably one created by someone who claims "the gurus are angry with me for giving away all their secrets..."). Discouraged by the lack of results with the first "opportunity", they decide to let it rest for a while and try the new one. Back they go into the cycle of try-the-new-product, get-discouraged, discard-it-and-try-the-next-thing.
And so it goes on. Months pass. Perhaps years pass. They struggle to pay the credit card bills mounting from buying into every new system that comes along... with very little money coming in to offset their 'investment'. As they look back, they start muttering "If I had only known then what I know now..."
If you can recognize yourself in this scenario, the good news is this: Now you DO know better. You don't know what the next new product will be that's going to set the internet world abuzz, but you do know enough to choose a system that's right for you and stick to it.
(3) Take The Time to Plan.
Give yourself from two to four weeks to regroup. Go through all the products you have on your shelves or on your computer. Make a list. Decide which products you now know (so wise with hindsight!) to be worth keeping. Then analyze the 'keepers' and pick on the best system for YOU to use at this time. (This will depend upon your level of knowledge and which one you would enjoy most. Work with your strengths.)
Finally, devise a game plan. You are going to focus on this ONE method and devise a practical time-line to achieve results. Don't be in a rush. Make sure you give yourself enough time to see it 'take hold' so the money starts flowing in. That will give you the motivation to continue.
Clear the decks, physically as well as mentally. Put all the products that don't fit in with your plan in boxes or on disk for safekeeping. You may return to them one day, but if you've chosen the system that's right for you, you probably won't.
4. Don't Get Distracted by New Products.
Resolve to buy ONLY products or services that will save you time or money in implementing the system you have chosen. Never buy anything on impulse. Print out the sales letter, read it through, then put it aside. Read it through again the next day. Does it still seem so appealing? Check out a few forums to listen to the buzz. If a product doesn't deliver, you'll soon hear about it. If it is exceptional value, you'll hear about that, too.
Some questions to ask: "Will this help me to streamline the business I have chosen? Is it worth the money? Will it make a significant difference?" And above all, "Do I need this, or is it just another distraction?"
Resolve to make this the year you will succeed. No more pocket change. No more "If I had only known..."
You DO know.
So make it work.
Posted by billenross at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2006
Myths and Misconceptions About Starting an Online Business
Are you trying to start an online business? Are you overwhelmed with the many online business programs available or concerned that you'll lose money by investing in them? While many offers sound too good to be true, there are some very good ones available - but how can you be sure? Learning to read 'between the lines' will better prepare you for what's really involved.
Here are some common phrases used to promote online businesses and what they really mean:
#1 - Simple & Easy
Simple and easy depends on who's speaking. A doctor may tell you it's only a 'simple procedure' but that doesn't mean that you should attempt it yourself.
Many online businesses ARE simple to operate. If you understand how it works you will be amazed at the simplicity - but getting to that point will require time and experience. You may just need to try a few to get a 'feel' for the business before deciding which one is easiest for you.
Those who have learned from experience can look back and see how simple it COULD have been if they'd known what to do all along. Finding a trustworthy guide can be a great assistance to your business efforts.
#2 - Anyone Can Do This
Sorry - starting a business of any kind is stressful and requires a learning curve. If you are attempting an online business out of desperation or the belief you will make easy money you will face enormous obstacles. On the other hand, if you are truly seeking a business you can learn, work at and make a living from, you will find something online that fits your needs.
Studies of successful business people concur that those who make it have common qualities of persistence, patience and desire. These qualities are essential when trying to start an online business - do you have them?
#3 - Turnkey
The term 'turnkey' use to mean that a business was set up and ready to go. You will find the term in business classifieds where the new owner can just step in and start running the business. Unfortunately some marketers use the term to suggest a business is fully automated - that there is no work involved.
There is always work involved. If the business really is turnkey than you will begin work right away because it has already been set to go. If you want an automated business you will have to do the work to make it automated. Either way, nobody is going to give you an automated, turnkey business that makes money - they had to do the work, so why would they share it?
#4 - It Won't Cost Anything
You absolutely CAN set up an online business with no money, but be prepared that a combination of no money and lack of experience will stifle your efforts immensely.
Most individuals who start or run a business with no money have learned how to make use of the best free techniques through experience. They have paid their dues by trying businesses that cost money. They have spent time in and around their industry or market and they've been able to see where they can cut costs.
If you are prepared to spend a LOT of time researching before starting your business you may be one of the few who does it right the first time. For most people though, expect to pay something towards your online business education before seeing results - you just can't buy experience.
Online business obviously has its share of work involved, but finding the right one has enormous payoffs many people are willing to sacrifice time and money to achieve. Running your own business is satisfying and can give you more time to do what you really want to do in life.
Creating a successful online business is within the grasp of nearly everyone who is prepared to stick to it. Face the task of starting your business with realistic expectations while continuing to dream big and you may just surprise yourself!
Bill Enross
Posted by billenross at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2006
Seminars - The Real Deal
Do you want to know the quickest way to fast-track your way to success? Do you want to shorten your learning curve by years? The answer is simple. Attend a seminar.
Seminars provide the opportunity to learn from the best. Those who put on a seminar are there for a reason, they are very good at what they do. They offer their expertise willingly to anyone wishing to listen to it, for a price of course.
Let's look at four solid reasons why seminars pack the most punch for your learning dollar.
1. You will learn more in a day than you will in a month. Seminars are designed to give you the maximum amount of information into a predetermined period of time. Seminars can range from a couple of hours to a full week retreat.
2. As mentioned before, you get to learn from the best. You get to sit in the same room with an expert and listen to them share their wisdom and knowledge. It's a shame that many people cannot see the opportunity in this. An expert knows what information to provide to achieve maximum results in the least amount of time.
3. You are right there in the room with no outside distractions. No phones, no television, no kids yelling. We learn best from direct experiences. What better way is there to absorb information quickly than being a part of the action? Why do people go to the movies? Maybe it’s because they want to watch the movie in a room without any outside distractions. A movie theater provides them the environment to focus and absorb what is being presented to them.
4. Seminars provide tools of the trade. It may be a workbook or a physical product like a software CD. It may be included in the cost of the seminar or it may be offered for sale after the conclusion. Many people underestimate the value of these tools. These products were designed to help you continue and re-enforce what you have learned from the seminar. Why spend the money to attend if you are not planning to put the information learned to good use? If the seminar provided value to you it should be a sure bet that the book, workbook, audio or video series should also have value.
Take the time to attend at least one seminar this year. Whether you are looking to improve your life, make more money, plan for your retirement or even learning how to tie fishing flies. Someone is out there willing to help you achieve your goals with the tools in hand to get you there as quickly as possible.
Bill Enross
Posted by billenross at 03:56 PM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2006
How on earth do you choose?
Just a quick note to let you know about a marvelous new free
online tool.
It helps you make really tough decisions surprisingly quickly and
easily.
I really like it...
Let's say, for example, you want to expand your Internet
business. You can't decide which project to do next from among
the following:
- Write an ebook
- Write a special report
- Build multiple AdSense sites
- Create autoresponder courses
- Build a large website
- Start a forum
- Learn PPC arbitrage
- Start a blog
- Build multiple blogs
- Outsource a project
You can go round and round in circles weighing these things up.
It could take you ages to make a decision - especially if you're
a perfectionist and worried you might make the "wrong" decision.
This new software comes to the rescue.
You simply use the problem solver, the decision maker.
There's no trickery. It doesn't force-feed you answers. You make
your own decisions, based entirely on the information you type
into the software.
Here's how.
- Go Here
- Type in the choices you're trying to sort out in your mind.
- Enter your own factors, weighting them according to your own
situation.
- Score how well each choice meets each factor. (It's easier to
do this than it sounds.)
This new software works like magic.
It can take an incredibly complex question and reduce the answer
to a simple bar graph, showing you which course of action to
take.
People are using it to solve all sorts of business and personal
problems.
Want to decide...
- Where to go for a vacation?
- Which web host?
- Which topic for your new website?
- Which career for your child?
- Which woman/man to wed?
- Which employee to hire?
- ...and almost any other decision you need to make
Try the decision maker for yourself.
What's really amazing is that it doesn't cost anything.
You'll love it...
Bill Enross
Posted by billenross at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
How on earth do you choose?
Just a quick note to let you know about a marvelous new free
online tool.
It helps you make really tough decisions surprisingly quickly and
easily.
I really like it...
Let's say, for example, you want to expand your Internet
business. You can't decide which project to do next from among
the following:
- Write an ebook
- Write a special report
- Build multiple AdSense sites
- Create autoresponder courses
- Build a large website
- Start a forum
- Learn PPC arbitrage
- Start a blog
- Build multiple blogs
- Outsource a project
You can go round and round in circles weighing these things up.
It could take you ages to make a decision - especially if you're
a perfectionist and worried you might make the "wrong" decision.
This new software comes to the rescue.
You simply use the problem solver, the decision maker.
There's no trickery. It doesn't force-feed you answers. You make
your own decisions, based entirely on the information you type
into the software.
Here's how.
- Go Here
- Type in the choices you're trying to sort out in your mind.
- Enter your own factors, weighting them according to your own
situation.
- Score how well each choice meets each factor. (It's easier to
do this than it sounds.)
This new software works like magic.
It can take an incredibly complex question and reduce the answer
to a simple bar graph, showing you which course of action to
take.
People are using it to solve all sorts of business and personal
problems.
Want to decide...
- Where to go for a vacation?
- Which web host?
- Which topic for your new website?
- Which career for your child?
- Which woman/man to wed?
- Which employee to hire?
- ...and almost any other decision you need to make
Try the decision maker for yourself.
What's really amazing is that it doesn't cost anything.
You'll love it...
Bill Enross
Posted by billenross at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
May 04, 2006
How to Write an Effective Newsletter
Printed newsletters are a really easy way to contact your prospective and current customers. They can even increase your sales while reducing advertising costs. Research shows newsletters get four times the readership of adverts or brochures, and customers are seven times more likely to buy from you than an average member of the public. A good newsletter can improve name recognition and brand awareness, establish your authority in your field, and differentiate your business from the competition.
Make the layout of your newsletter inviting. If it looks too packed with information it may seem hard work to read. Break up the copy with plenty of space and keep articles short. Use intriguing titles or ones that suggest the article provides quick and easy shortcuts. Also use photographs or cartoons on the cover to draw people's attention.
Choose your articles carefully so that each one promotes the correct image of your business. Decide whether the article is to reflect your expertise, customer care or some other aspect of your business. If you are not sure which areas are important and of interest to your customers slip a survey into your newsletter.
You should start the article writing process by deciding what specific results you want from the article. It may be to introduce a new product or service, or to counteract what a competitor is claiming, or to highlight why a customer might be interested in a special offer you have.
A good newsletter will have a longer shelf life than adverts and are more likely to be passed around to prospective customers. Get a balance between generic articles that would be of interest to your wider client base and those specifically about your products and services. Do not waste effort and space producing articles that are unrelated to your field. Also check that the views expressed in articles are unlikely to offend your customer base.
Try to keep copy simple and as jargon free as possible. Use short sentences. Involve the reader by asking questions. How could your business benefit from this advice?
A profile of a customer can show how your product or service is used, the results that it can produce, why someone would purchase from you, and what they are planning to do in the future with your assistance. If they are prestigious clients the article will give a positive reflection of your business as well as providing them with some useful and free PR.
Generate new leads by offering a free subscription to your newsletter on your business's marketing materials. Emphasize the news content and useful advice, and how it could benefit your prospective customer. Only a few of those who sign up for the newsletter will be time wasters. It is possible that as many as 80% could be converted to customers within six months. Without the constant contact that the newsletter offers they could drift into the arms of a competitor.
Bill Enross
Posted by billenross at 08:03 PM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2006
The Secret of Doing Without Doing
Of all the self help books, tapes, and CD's I've purchased in my lifetime, there has only been one that had a profound effect on both my personal life (how I feel on the inside), and my finances (which sometimes has a very big effect on how I feel on the inside!).
Dr. Robert Anthony's 6 week audio course changed my life for the better, and it did it quickly. Here is an excerpt; it will give you a small, but clear peek into the mind of an amazing human being.
One of the mistaken certainties or misconceptions most people operate under is that you get what you want in life by what you DO, or through the actions you take. Most people believe that the DOING or action part is what makes things happen. However, this causes you to create in reverse.
Let me explain. The reason we put a lot of emphasis on action is because we do not understand the power of our thought.
If you analyze it, 90% of most people's actions are spent trying to compensate for inappropriate thought. The Chinese philosopher Lao-tsu said that, "In the practice of the Way, every day something is dropped. Less and less do you need to force things until finally you arrive at *non action* When nothing is done, nothing is left undone".
What he is talking about is *doing without doing* The problem is that most of us are preoccupied with "doing". Unfortunately most of our doing usually involves struggle. In the western world we are conditioned to be action oriented, so we place a tremendous value on doing. We are so busy doing that we do not realize that all this "doingness" causes us to create in a reverse fashion.
Most of our actions are out of fear, worry or doubt because we believe nothing will get done unless we DO something.
In other words, we are trying to force our desire into manifestation through action. If your decision to DO is dominant, then you will not focus on what you want to BE in the present moment. This causes you to miscreate because BEING is the first and most important step in the creative process.
Here is the secret. It is not your action that makes things happen, it is your intent. You can reduce the need for action to a very minimum by allowing yourself to focus on what you desire until you feel the positive energy begin to move within you. This energy is not based on doubt, fear, anxiety, worry or need. If you focus on what you want instead of what you don't want, you will know when it is time to take action. And when you do, it will be effortless. Doors open and the entire universe will conspire to assist you in your desire.
Put simply, you should take no action on anything until you have visualized your desire and made it real enough in your mind that your next action (step), whatever it is, seems like the most logical step. How can you know the next logical step? Here is the test that you can give to yourself before taking any action. If you focus on what you desire and still feel overwhelmed or anxious, then you are not ready for any action. You know you are ready when it feels like the next logical step is effortless. There is no effort, no strain, and no pain. What we want to do is to use the leverage of energy, the same leverage of energy that creates everything in the universe.
However, we are so caught up in the reality of WHAT IS, that we feel we must create everything through mental effort and physical activity. Have you ever seen people who seem to have all the wonderful things in their life without much effort? It almost seems like they have an advantage over everyone else. Then you see the people who work the hardest usually have the least. That doesn't seem fair does it? But that's the way the universe works.
Unfortunately, those who work the hardest usually have the least because they haven't learned the leverage of aligning their energy. They are going about creating their lives the hard way. They are trying to use their actions to create what they want. We have also been programmed that in order to have what we desire we must work hard. How many times have you heard - "No pain, no gain." The implication is that if you want to make something of yourself, you must work hard. The message is clear - if you are not hurting or struggling, you are not moving forward.
But here is the truth - anytime you are struggling you are miscreating. Anytime you feel pain or struggle, your magnetic point of attraction is directed to that which you do not want, rather than to that which you desire. Read it again! Actions are necessary, but they are the last component of the creation processes. Actions cannot be used effectively to initiate results, because initiation is the function of BEING, then thought, then action.
Remember, the creation of anything is through your vibration. Everything vibrates, and it is by that vibration that we harmonize and attract experiences to ourselves. So before you act or do anything, first ask yourself, how am I vibrating? How do you tell?
You tell by how you FEEL. Your feelings show you your vibration. How you feel determines what you attract. When you use the process of creating by only focusing on what you want instead of what you don't want, you will see that the universe will provide a different set of circumstances for you that requires much less action. This puts you in a state of "doing without doing" or action without effort.
Copyright © 2004-2006 Dr. Robert Anthony. All Rights Reserved.
Dr. Robert Anthony - Know How To Be Rich
Bill Enross
Posted by billenross at 09:26 PM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2006
How Much is Your Time Worth?
How much is your time worth? Not sure?
Ask any part-time employee and they will tell you: $9.50/hour (or whatever their wage is). Hourly workers know the value of their time. Successful salespeople who work on commission know the value of their time. Some salaried workers, particularly the successful ones, know the value of their time.
But what about you? It's a different story for the online business owner! You probably work more than eight hours during the day (or night) and then think about your business even when you are not sitting at your computer working on it. And, if it's a passion of yours (and many online entrepreneurs turn their hobbies and passions into a business), then you've got an even greater challenge in figuring out the value of your time.
Maybe you don't know the value of their time. Many people don't, so you are not alone. But it's a calculation that will help you manage your time, so it's worth the five minutes that you will spend trying to figure it out.
The best thing to do is just do a basic calculation: income divided into total hours worked. No, it's not a perfect calculation because it doesn't account for the hours that you spend thinking and it doesn't account for your expenses...but you are also busy enough that a rule-of-thumb idea from a quick calculation is just as effective and takes less time.
It's probably a good idea to make this calculation for a week's worth of time or even a month's worth of time. That way, you will help to smooth out the fluctuations that occur in your schedule and in your customer's buying patterns. This calculation might require you to actually monitor your time for a week. It's a good exercise to do anyway, regardless of whether or not you end up trying to discover the value of your time.
For most entrepreneurs who are just starting out, the value of their time is just a few dollars at best. Don't feel badly if that is the case with you.
Once you have that number, you have a baseline. Now what?
Now you have something to work for. Now you have a goal to shoot for. Currently earning 25 cents an hour? (Don't laugh. Many entrepreneurs earn that when they just start out. It will get better!) If you are earning that much, make it a goal to earn 50 cents an hour, then a dollar, then five dollars. Keep track of your current "hourly worth" in your business planner and use it to constantly remind yourself to build it up over time. That is the American Dream! And you are living it!
Posted by billenross at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2006
Networking Your Way to Online Success
Forums, groups, boards, and loops; they’re all synonymous for online locations facilitating online networking. Some are entirely public, where everyone and anyone can click to the URL, read the messages and if they have no interest in contributing, they can just lurk. Some require active participation and others require registration before members can participate. These online forums, groups, boards or loops are different from paid membership sites in that there is no cost to network at these websites.
Some are active, some are sleepy. Some are strictly for business related topics; some allow more OT (Off Topics) and social interaction. There are forums for every imaginable topic: Entrepreneurs, International business, Health related fields, Technology, Copywriters, Web Designers, Work at Home Moms, Programmers, Finance, Ebay, Job Seekers, Internet Marketing, Writers, Inventors and Virtual Assistants, just to barely scratch the surface of what’s out there on the World Wide Web.
Time management skills need to be paramount when participating in online forums. You can very easily get swallowed up and spend hours and hours online networking with others who have online businesses, yet you miss real opportunities to get some productive work done!
From a business standpoint, there are two areas you should consider before participating in a loop. It’s always good to have a network of like-minded business people. If you’re a web designer, hang out with other designers. You can help and support each other. If you’re just starting out, you can learn from the pros.
Don’t get stuck though, just hanging out with your own kind. You’re not going to be very successful trying to promote your design services to other designers. This is where balance comes in. Pop into the boards, check new posts of interest, ask or answer questions, then get out. Then move onto groups who need your services or products. Who is your target market and where do they hang out? Go there. Word of caution: Do not go to these forums with the sole purpose of SPAMMING the group. You’ll be tossed out on your ear quicker than you can blink if that is your sole purpose. People like to do business with people they know and trust – or at the very minimum have at least heard of.
If you’re trying to sell your curriculum to a group of home school parents and you just pop in, spew your sales rap all over the boards then expect any sort of return, you’re missing the point of online networking. It’s networking – not advertising. You need to build a rapport with your other “loopies”. Then if a need arises and they know one of their own fellow networkers has that special skill or product, guess who they’ll call first? You hope it’s YOU.
For starters check MSN, Google, Yahoo, AOL, and Ryze. Inside there are literally hundreds and thousands of groups just waiting for you. Start networking your way to success today!
Posted by billenross at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2006
Can Your Business Survive?
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door."
But when you're starting your own business, there's no guarantee that your "mousetrap" is going to survive, especially in today's fast-paced business world.
Nearly half of all small businesses fail within the first two years of operation. The number one reason for business failure is inadequate planning. The second reason is under-capitalization.
So before you mortgage your house, or go into debt financing your business, you need to know if your business is going to do more than survive -- you want to know if it's good enough to thrive! Here are three things successful businesses that have stayed in business for five years or longer have in common:
1. The idea. A successful business start-up always starts with an idea. Something that makes your business stand out from all the rest. So how do you know if you've got a good idea?
You've probably got a good idea if you can answer yes to any of the following questions: Does your idea provide the solution to a significant problem for your target market? Does it satisfy a need or want? Does it create an opportunity?
The most successful businesses either fix problems (either real or perceived), or they increase your customer's pleasure. They create a repeat need for a product or service among the target market.
2. The market. Your chances of survival are better if you can answer the following questions with a yes: Is there already a market for your product or service? (It's much easier to fill a need than trying to create an entirely new market.) Can your target market afford to buy your products or services? (If they can't afford it, it doesn't matter how great it is, you won't sell any!) Will your target market perceive your product or service as valuable? (If they want it, but don't think it's worth what you're selling it for, you won't make any sales.)
3. Your ability. Do you have the people, the resources and the knowledge to be able to consistently provide your products or services to your target market? Can you maintain a competitive advantage? Do you have enough manpower? Can you purchase the supplies and materials you need over the long run?
Your first step always is to create a solid business plan. Your business plan is more than an essay on "Why I deserve to get funding for my idea" however. Don't spend all the time creating a business plan and then toss it in the bottom drawer of your desk. Your business plan should be a living, breathing roadmap that helps you make sure you're on course and reaching the goals that you set for your business.
The second step to business survival is getting enough financing. Although the term "bootstrap entrepreneur" describes most small business owners, having enough capital to be able to keep your business afloat is vital to your survival.
When you're creating your financial analysis of your business, make sure you're being realistic about costs and expenditures, so that you give yourself the cushion you need to succeed.
If finding financing is a problem, either because you don't have enough credit or equity, or there are other problems, take the time to look into the resources that are available in your community. There are a wide variety of grants and loans (including microloans) for entrepreneurs, if you know where to look.
Some great resources will be:
-The Small Business Administration
-Local Small Business Development Centers
-Women's Organizations
-Local University or Community College
-Chamber of Commerce
-SCORE (The Association for Retired Executives)
-Nonprofit organizations that work on economic development in your area
Use other successful business models as a guide. When you're getting started, look around. What businesses are successful? Why? What is it they're doing that is working? What attributes do you admire, and why? You stand a better chance of succeeding if you're modeling someone who is already successful.
Find a mentor. Most entrepreneurs have great skills and abilities, but no one does everything well. You probably already know what your strengths and weaknesses are. (If not, there are many resources and tools that can help you figure it out!) Rather than ignoring your weaknesses, find a mentor who can help you either build your skills in your weaker areas, or offer advice for getting what you need.
If you take the time to plan to succeed, you could be creating a legacy that will be enjoyed by future generations, and that other entrepreneurs will look at as a model for building their own businesses.
Bill Enross is a marketing consultant specializing in helping Independent Auto Repair Professionials increase their profits. You can reach him at AutoRepairProfits.com
Posted by billenross at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)
April 02, 2006
How a Major Ski Resort Uses Podcasts for Online Marketing
Podcasts are short radio-style audio programs that users of online audio, mobile audio and iPods (or other portable digital audio players) can download and listen to whenever and wherever they like. The Podcast medium is still in its infancy as a marketing medium.
The most effective use in these early days of marketing with Podcasts involves subjects that appeal to tech-savvy listeners. Obviously, that includes topics in computing, multimedia, and high technology.
Another smart approach is to match Podcast marketing with the lifestyle of the target audience. For example: skiers. The target market for a typical ski resort includes young professionals in the 20s and 30s, with an adventure-loving attitude to recreation, and plenty of disposable income so that they can afford the sport. That's right on target for the core market that buys iPods and other high-tech gadgets.
Marketing Sherpa reports that New England ski area Killington Ski Resorts recently tapped into this useful convergence of market niches to create a Podcast-driven marketing campaign.
The challenge was to reach the ideal demographic of young urban professionals, who are typically hard to get at through traditional ski industry marketing media such as radio, TV and magazines. Their lives are cluttered with a blizzard of conflicting media, their attention fragmented and hard to hold.
Killington Resorts communications manager Tom Horrocks recognized that one unifying factor of this demographic is their almost cultish love of iPods and portable digital audio. He decided that Podcasts would be an ideal way to connect with them on their own terms.
Here's how he put the campaign together:
1) Bought software and digital microphones that his team could use right in the office to create Podcasts.
2) Hired a "snow reporter / media writer" to act as a personable and enthusiastic character, to become identified as the Podcast voice of the resort.
3) Developed and produced 3 separate Podcasts: a 3-minute "Snowcast" of daily weather and snow condition reports; a 12-minute weekly "Driftcast" that delivered interviews, tips and stories from the mountain; and a 3-hour weekly music production, more like and FM radio segment, with music appealing to the target demographic.
4) Delivered the Podcasts regularly, on schedule, through popular distribution services including Apple's iTunes online music service, Podcast Alley, and Yahoo!, as well as through the Resorts' own Web site.
The results were impressive. Over a period of 2 months at the beginning of 2006, the Podcasts were downloaded nearly 30,000 times. The downside of Podcast marketing is that it is hard to track results. Once the audio is downloaded, there's no built-in way to measure how the listener responds or takes action.
However, Tom Horrocks is sure the Podcasts delivered a good return on investment. He credits the campaign's success to the flair of the resort's Podcast personality, known as Anna of the Mountain. "She epitomizes Killington: young, passionate, crazy about skiing."
Posted by billenross at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)
April 01, 2006
10 Ways to Save and Make More Money in Business
Don’t you just love Paul Simon? The lyrics to his songs are not only pleasing to the ears, but can be inspirational. Imagine yourself enjoying the warm autumn sunlight while listening to Paul's song, “50 Ways to Leave your Lover”. Now, stretch your imagination just a bit and think about how many "Ways" you can come up with for saving and/or making more money in business...
“The problem is all inside your head
She said to me
The answer is easy
If you take it logically”
So, let’s look at the problem logically for a minute. Here are four basic ways you can increase your profits:
1. You can charge more for your products or services.
2. You can sell more of your products or services to your existing clients.
3. You can find additional clients.
4. You can find ways to cut back on your business expenses.
"Slip Out the Back, Jack" (Simple ways to save money):
So, if you’re on a shoestring budget (and who isn’t these days?), then obviously you need to do everything you can to save as much money as possible, and make as much money as possible, as quickly and easily as possible. Here are 10 simple ideas you can use:
1. Know your target market. Who are your “ideal” customers?
Where do they shop? What do they read? What solutions are they looking for that your business provides? The more you know about your customers, the better you’ll be able to target your promotions towards them, which will increase your bottom line two ways – it will save you spending money on advertising that doesn’t work, and it will increase your sales, because you’re offering your customers what they really want.
2. Get double duty out of any contact with your customers. If you sell products, put your contact information on everything –products, bags, invoices sales receipts. Make it easy for everyone to find you. Give away something free. If you have a Website (and if you don’t, then get one), give your customers something for giving you their contact information. Free Ebooks, reports, or software are all good choices (just make sure it’s relevant to your customers). Anytime you send your customers anything – a product, a newsletter, an invoice –include a coupon or information about your latest products or services. To save money on postage, if you have a brick and mortar store, put a copy of your latest newsletter or an informational flyer in your customer’s bag after each sale.
3. Reward your customers. Set up a reward program. Offer them a reward for anyone they refer who becomes a customer. Or give your customers a free gift when they spend $50 (or whatever amount makes sense in your business). When they’re eligible for the free gift, offer them an upgrade to something bigger or better for a few dollars more. Start a customer loyalty program. Provide “customer only” sales, or promotions. Let your customers earn points, or “magic money” that they can use to redeem your products or services.
4. Get ready for your close-up. When you’re brainstorming about creating a promotion or advertising campaign, don’t forget about your local cable TV channel. You may be pleasantly surprised by how low their rates actually are. Create your own television commercial or infomercial. Although you may not be ready for prime time, you can still target your ad to reach your customers.
5. Get involved in your community. Find a nonprofit organization that is doing work you believe in, and either publicly support their program, or be one of their sponsors for an upcoming event or fundraiser. Use the advertising spot to let people know about the fundraiser (and, incidentally, your business). You could put together an inexpensive ad campaign that will help those in need, increase your visibility and let your potential customers know that you're supportive and aware of the needs of the community.
“Make a new plan, Stan” (Business Planning Basics):
6. Beef up your business plan. If you don’t have a business plan, make writing one a priority. Your business plan is more than just a way to interest investors. It’s a road map that will help you get from where you are now to where you want to be. That old saying, “If you fail to plan then you’re planning to fail” really is true when it comes to business.
"No need to be coy, Roy" (Ask your customers):
7. Get testimonials from your satisfied clients. But don’t stop there. What about creating your own television commercial that you can run in your store? (With a video camera and a little ingenuity, you could even create your own infomercial that shows customers how to use or get the most out of your products or services. If you’ve got a Website, put an audio testimonial on there. (And don’t forget to include pictures).
8. Speak up. Again, keeping in mind who your ultimate ideal customers are and what their most pressing problems are, write an article, offer a free seminar, or offer to be a speaker at local chamber of commerce or other organization or community meetings. Being perceived as an “expert” is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to get the word out about your business, and bring in more customers.
"Just hop on the bus, Gus" (Expand your business potential)
9. Create joint ventures. Even if your primary business is a brick and mortar one, you can still create a joint venture that will help you save money by sharing the costs for advertising. What about creating a special “sidewalk sale” with other business owners on your street or in your neighborhood? Or finding businesses with complementary products or services to yours, and creating a “package deal”? If your business is only online, look for ways you can partner with other businesses – maybe you could create solo ads and promote each other’s products or services in your mailing lists. There are a lot of ways you can save money and increase your client base if you’re willing to get creative.
"Just drop off the key, Lee" (Provide the key solutions)
10. Let your customers know you know what their problems are. It's sad but true that your customers don't care how good your products or services are. They only want to know two things: do you understand what their problems are; and can you solve them. Give your customers the "key" to their problems, and you'll have evangelistic customers who come back again and again.
Posted by billenross at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
March 31, 2006
Protecting Your Intellectual Property
If you are a small business owner with an idea, an invention or a new product, you need to decide whether or not to create a proactive intellectual property strategy.
What is Intellectual Property? It is any creation of the mind and includes literary and artistic work, inventions as well as symbols, names and images. It also includes any designs you use in conducting your business.
There are two categories of Intellectual Property. The first, Industrial Property, includes industrial designs (and geographic source designations), inventions (patents) and trademarks.
The types of Trademarks are: Trademark, Service Mark, Collective Mark, Collective Membership Mark, and Certification Mark.
The second category is Copyright which includes literary and artistic works. Copyright protects the authors of novels, poetry, films and plays and composers of musical works. However, copyright also protects artists of paintings or drawings, photographers, even sculptors or architects who have designed specific buildings. Protection of Copyright is also extended to performing artists regarding their performances and producers of television and radio programs.
When Should You Think About Protecting Your IP Rights?
Intellectual Property has become big business -- and protecting yours can add considerable value to your company somewhere down the road.
You should think about applying for the appropriate protections if...
*you're even considering going global at some point
*if you will be manufacturing your products in another country
*if your business name, tagline, logo or other work is a key component of your business, your brand or your operational strategy
*if your product is something that is easily pirated and could be manufactured in countries that are known for pirating
Many business owners think they should wait until their business is established and they know that it's going to succeed before deciding to go ahead with IP protection. However, according to the top IP attorneys, that's a mistake that can be more costly in the long run. It's easier and cheaper to protect your rights in the beginning than it is to be involved in a lengthy and expensive court case, trying to reclaim what is yours, or defend against an infringement claim.
Another reason many business owners wait is because international IP laws are often unclear, and the laws themselves change often. And there are differences in trademark systems in the U.S. and other countries. In the U.S., the system is based on use, not registration, but many other countries have registration-based systems.
However, thanks to the Madrid Protocol, the process of protecting trademarks has been streamlined and can save you up to 65% of the filing costs.
Before the Madrid Protocol, you were required to file separate applications for each country. Now, you can file for many with one application.
Another problem faced by entrepreneurs is that there is a time limit -- 12 months in fact, to file for international IP rights after applying for a trademark or patent in the U.S.
If you want to protect your Intellectual Property, and increase the long-term value of your business, consult a reputable IP attorney now. Don't wait until it's too late.
Posted by billenross at 06:32 PM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2006
How You Can Overcome Procrastination Immediately
Problem:
People procrastinate because many are paralyzed with fear of failure, loss, pain and some, success! What we fear becomes our reality.
Solution
1. Fear is “False Evidence Appearing Real.
2. 90% of what we fear never becomes reality.
3. The best way to overcome fear is to do what we fear.
4. It helps if you visualize the worst case scenario and accept it as a possibility and realize it will probably never come to pass.
5. Our imaginations exaggerate negative fears completely out of proportion and in most cases never occur!
Problem
Few have a strategy to accomplish their goals.
Solution
1. Make a contract with yourself.
2. Identify specific rewards for positive action.
3. Establish certain penalties for procrastination.
4. Break your goals down into small steps.
5. Schedule a time segment for each activity.
6. Give yourself rewards for correct action and penalties when you do not follow through.
Problem
Many have a lack of discipline. It takes 30 days to break old habits and establish new ones.
Solution
1. Create a Success-Habits-Reminder card with boxes for checkmarks to record your daily activities.
2. Tape it to your bathroom mirror.
3. Stick it on your desk to keep track of your actions.
Problem
Most people do not have a plan or assign priorities.
Solution
1. Create a “To Do” List.
2. Determine immediate, intermediate and long-range goals.
3. Plan the goals that are in immediate reach of your abilities and assign priorities: Important & urgent, Important but not urgent, Not urgent or important.
4. Do the urgent & important tasks first.
5. 80% of your activities are not important to your goals.
6. Only 20% are urgent & important.
7. Learn to eliminate the 80% activities that do not help you attain your goals.
Problem
Many try to complete the most urgent & important activities at the last moment.
Solution
Every day schedule a block of prime time to work on an important activity that is due in the future. Soon you will find the time to analyze and polish your projects many times before they come due.
Problem
There never seems to be enough time to contemplate your decisions
Solution
Schedule quiet time to make important decisions. Listen to relaxing music that balances both brain hemispheres. If you do not schedule time for exercise, rest, entertainment, fellowship and prayer your will spin out of control.
Problem
You are overwhelmed.
Solution
Learn to say, “No!” to activities and individuals that do not contribute to the attainment of your goals. Often, people take advantage of your kindness and generosity without ever realizing you have better things to do with your time.
Problem: Most people do not have a master plan.
Solution
1. Create a master list of all personal, spiritual, physical, emotional and financial goals for 1 year.
2. Assign priorities for each.
3. Predict a date for completion.
4. Write everything in pencil so you can change it.
Problem: Few people use an organizer or daytime planner to coordinate their activities.
Solution
1. Transfer the things on your master list to the correct dates in your organizer.
2. Check off each item as it is completed.
3. At the end of each day, reschedule the things that were not completed.
4. If an item is rescheduled twice, you are procrastinating.
5. Ask yourself, “What if I never do this?”
6. If the answer is, “No big deal!” Delete it.
Problem
Some people suffer from perfection paralysis.
Solution
1. Make the decision that you are not perfect and never will be. Everything you do will be imperfect in some way.
2. Realize that if it is worth doing, it’s worth doing wrong until you get it right.
3. Stop judging yourself according to your accomplishments.
4. Learn to trust yourself by developing intuition and following your hunches. You will find your first premonition is usually the correct one.
5. Discover just how right you are by making predictions and observing how a high percentage of them are correct. (Predict the line at the supermarket or bank that will move the fastest and take action accordingly.)
6. Make quick decisions in 20 seconds or less.
7. Make your decisions the correct ones by believing in your choices and acting with confidence.
8. In difficult situations, flip a coin, choose heads or tails and then observe how you feel about the outcome of the toss. Your response to the coin toss will help you make the right decision.
Posted by billenross at 06:37 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2006
How Running an Event Can Increase Your Income
Why on earth would you want to run an event for your business? Events take a lot of organizing and publicity, not to mention the time you might not have and, depending on what you want to do, they can also cost quite a bit of money.
So is it really worth all that effort?
In a word, yes!
An event is a fantastic way to get a whole lot of your clients and potential clients together so you can present to them all at once, saving you huge amounts of time and effort trying to reach them all individually – and even better, as the speaker, you come across as an expert in your field. Give your clients valuable information and they will talk about you and recommend you to others. Having an event is also a great way to encourage your clients to network with each other and see how they can help each other – and of course, it’s you they’ll thank for that opportunity.
Having your name on an event can be very good publicity for you and your business. If you pick a hot topic for your industry you could find yourself interviewed by the local press, on the radio, or even on television, all of which increase your chances of being seen as an expert by potential clients.
You may even make money directly from your event – either by charging admission, finding sponsorship or by having products to sell at the event. Regular events could produce a nice stream of new income.
You could generate yet another income stream just from one event by creating one or more products – you could video it, record it, transcribe it, turn the learning materials into an ebook or online course and sell it - the possibilities are endless.
So once you've decided to go ahead - how do you pick a good topic? You'll need to look at what your industry is discussing right now and what they really want to know. There are lots of ways to find this out:
- Run an online survey - www.surveymonkey.com has a free option you can use to create some very useful surveys
- Ring several trusted clients and find out what they’d like to learn more about
- Go to online forums on your subject and see what everyone is talking about
- Post on online forums and ask people what they might be interested in
- Look at the bestsellers on Amazon, Barns & Noble and Clickbank
- Look at the most popular keywords using a word tracker tool
- Go to your trade association and ask what their members are interested in
- Look at competitor’s ezines and see what they are discussing at the moment.
Once you have your topic you’ll need to pick a date and an event format. What kind of event should you offer? Look at where your potential clients are based:
- If most people are in a particular area of the country, you should consider having a face to face meeting – this is always the best option if possible as you have much more chance to impress and to deal on the spot with any objections and questions, as well as providing that all important networking opportunity for your clients.
If your clients are scattered across the country or even across the world, you’ll need to look at running a teleclass or web based event:
- With a web based event using a facility such as www.hotconference.com, you have the option of using the whiteboard, showing a PowerPoint presentation, directing people to view a website and seeing the attendees online via webcam – this is a great way to give a presentation but make sure you are practiced at using all the features of the software first and consider whether your clients are technically-minded enough to be comfortable with this, and likely to have equipment such as webcams and microphones.
- If this is your first time running an event, the easiest option is to run a teleclass, where you set a date and time and participants simply dial in and listen to you. Many companies, such as www.freeconference.com, offer this service and a quick Google search should bring up a long list of companies you could use.
If you choose a live event you’ll need to find a good venue. Look at cost, position - find somewhere central with good transport links and parking. Make sure you see the room you’ll be using before the event so you can see the space you have available and plan your layout. Check maximum numbers the room can hold for fire regulations, find out where the fire exits and fire alarm are and make sure there is disabled access.
You’ll need to market your event very well to get good numbers:
- Use your own ezine, local press and radio, the chamber of commerce and online forums.
- Write articles on your subject and submit them to article directories and other ezines.
- Tell your trade association and use online event listings.
- Go to networking events and take leaflets with you to advertise what you are doing.
- Ask each client to bring one potential client to get a free place
- Offer to speak at other events on the run up to yours with a taster of what people will get on the day.
- Find another non-competing company who are aiming for the same market and do a joint event
Don’t just rely on one way to get publicity – think of as many different ways as you can and use the best ones for your event.
You'll need to be very organized and plan well ahead. Make sure you order any equipment you might need in plenty of time. Make up an event checklist and build yourself a kit with plenty of spares - pens, training materials, extension cables, flip chart paper, gaffer tape, scissors, etc. Check with the venue that everything’s ready for you the day before the event.
The more value you provide, the more likely you are to be seen as an expert in your area and the more business you will get from your event and from word of mouth after the event as a result, so don’t deliver a sales pitch – your content has to be high quality, entertaining and informative or people will feel cheated, particularly if they paid to attend.
Once the event is over make sure you follow up and ask for feedback – it’s the best way to find out if the event was what your clients wanted, to get ideas for future events, and also a great to chance to chat to prospective clients to see if they’re interested in working with you. You can also collect testimonials which will help you if you plan to run events on a regular basis, and which you can also use to promote any products you develop from your event content.
In short, pick a great topic, plan everything carefully, publicize what you are doing as much as you can, and check everything is in place the day before the event. On the day, don’t forget to relax and enjoy yourself – if you are having fun, the audience will too. Lastly and by no means least, whatever you do, don’t forget to follow up.
Just by following these guidelines you could find yourself with any amount of new clients, lots of publicity and several new income streams.
Worth it? Definitely!
Posted by billenross at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2006
How To Conduct A Market Analysis For Your Business
The term "market analysis" is often confusing to entrepreneurs, especially for people who focus on a specific niche or market segment.
In fact, many small business owners don't understand the process or complain that conducting a market analysis is too complicated or too expensive and wonder why or if it is necessary.
What is market analysis?
In the most basic terms, a market analysis is an assessment of:
- A particular problem or opportunity in a market.
- The needs of the target market relating to the problem or opportunity.
- Ideas for marketing a particular product or service that fills the needs of the target market.
When should you conduct a market analysis?
- When you are starting a business.
- When you are entering a new market.
- When you are considering a new product or service.
Why should you conduct a market analysis?
- To minimize business risks.
- To understand the problems and opportunities.
- To identify sales opportunities.
- To plan your marketing/sales approach.
The process of conducting a market analysis can be divided into three parts:
Part 1 - Understanding Market Conditions
This gives you basic information about your entire market -- the size, the competition, the customers.
Part 2 - Identifying Market Opportunities
This gives you more targeted information about potential problems or opportunities in the potential market, and includes information about growth, current and future trends, outside factors and more information about specific competitors.
Part 3 - Developing Market-Driven Strategies
Here is where we get into what market research does for you. It helps you to pinpoint opportunities to grow your business. By understanding the market and knowing what opportunities are available you can create a marketing strategy that leaves your competitors in the dust!
Here are 10 questions that can help you get started:
1. What is the market I want to reach?
- Who are they? (Basic Demographics)
- What is their biggest problem in relation to this market?
- Are their needs being met by the products or services provided in this market?
2. Who is my competition in this market?
- Are they successful in this market?
- Are they marketing a similar product or service?
- What is the market share of the three biggest competitors in this market?
3. Is there room for growth in this market?
4. What is the size of this market?
- Is there room for growth?
- Is the industry growing? Stable? Saturated? Volatile? Declining?
5. How is my product or service different from the competition?
6. How can I reach this market?
- How is my competition currently reaching this market?
- Is it the most effective way?
- What are the alternative ways of reaching this market?
7. What are the business models of my competition in this market?
- Are they effective?
- Is there a way to do it differently or better?
8. What do customers expect from this type of product or service?
- What are the core competencies of this product or service?
- What would make the product "new" "different" or "better" for the customer?
9. How much are customers willing to pay for this product or service?
10. What is our competitive advantage in this market?
Knowing the answers to these questions will not only help you figure out if there is a need for your product or service, it will help you figure out the best ways to reach your customers, price your products or service and ultimately make more sales!
Posted by billenross at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2006
Press Release Secrets
Does the thought of trying to get publicity for your business seem like something that you can't do yourself, and would have to hire a professional for? Do you think that writing a press release is totally outside your ability to do? Does the thought of talking to the media about your business make your mouth go dry and your stomach clench? If so, take heart, because you're about to learn how you can take care of your own publicity, simply and easily.
Getting publicity for your business can seem like an impossible task -- something that only happens for "big" companies that can afford to hire publicists.
The reality is, getting free publicity for your business isn't that difficult. Welcome to "Media Training 101 -- The Secrets of Writing a Good Press Release". By the time you finish reading this article, you'll not only understand the basics, you'll know what goes into the process, and what you have to do to get started writing your own press release.
First of all, let's go over some basic terminology you need to be familiar with.
Press Release: A statement with useful and relevant information that is written for distribution to the media.
Hook: The information or larger story that you can use to attach your press release to. Using the right "hook" in the right way can help you to get more publicity for your business.
Spin: Telling your story your way.
The good news about learning to write a Press Release is that there is an established format that you need to follow. And once you've learned the basics, writing a press release is a kind of "cookie cutter" process. Here are some basic ideas to keep in mind:
Make your news "newsworthy". A press release is not a sales advertisement. A good press release answers all of the "W" questions (who, what, where, when and why), and sometimes "how." Your purpose in writing it is twofold: to provide the media with useful and relevant information about your organization, product, service or event and to get your name out to your target market.
Begin with a strong headline. Your headline and first paragraph need to grab the reader’s attention. Without being flowery or overly dramatic, you have only the first few seconds to grab your reader’s attention and get them to read your story, and decide if it’s worth running. So don’t blow it by being vague or weak. The rest of your press release can give them the nitty-gritty details.
Tailor your story to your Primary audience – the media. Your secondary audience is your target market, but if the media doesn't decide that your story is newsworthy and runs it, your potential customers will never know about it!
Pay attention to your writing. Sometimes, especially in rural areas and online, the media will run your press release in their publications with little or no modification, so make sure you’ve used your spelling and grammar check before sending it, and keep to the facts. Most of the time, journalists will use your press release as a stepping off place for a larger feature story, especially if you can show larger relevance to other current events. Always develop your story as you want to have it told – put YOUR spin on it. Even if your story is not reprinted verbatim, always remember what YOUR purpose is in writing it – to provide exposure for you, and to help brand you as an expert in your field.
Not everything is news. Just because you are excited that you made your first big sale, or started a new product line, or wrote your first article, doesn’t necessarily mean that the press are going to think you have a newsworthy story. From the time you start your first draft, keep your audience in mind. Who will find your story interesting? Why are they going to find it interesting? How is it relevant to something else that’s going on right now?
Identify a problem, and show how you’re solving it. Use real life examples about how your company or organization solved or is solving a problem. Give examples of how your service or product fulfills needs or satisfies desires. What benefits can be expected? Use real life examples to powerfully communicate the benefits of using your product or service.
Stick to the facts. Always. Tell. The. Truth. Avoid fluff, embellishments and exaggerations. It is part of a journalist’s job to be skeptical. If you want to use publicity effectively, then you're not looking for a one night stand. You want to gain the trust of the media, establish your credibility, and build an on-going relationship with your local media, so that you become a resource for them within your industry.
Find your “hook”. Try to make your press release timely. Keep informed about what’s going on in your community, in your state, region, the country or the world. Is there a local, regional or national news story that somehow ties in to your industry or your business? If you can hook your press release to current events or social issues, you increase your chances of having it picked up. If not, then make sure your story is relevant to the needs, wants or problems of your community or target audience.
Use an active, not passive, voice. Use strong verbs that will bring your press release to life. If there is controversy, describe it. There is an old adage in the news business: “If it cries it flies, and if it bleeds, it leads.” (Not very nice, but it’s often true.) So, while you may not be crying or bleeding, make what you’re writing about stand out. Use active verbs. Write “partnered” rather than "entered into a partnership" or “engaged” rather than “interested”, etc. Writing in this manner will help guarantee that your press release will be read.
Use only enough words to tell your story. Avoid using unnecessary adjectives, flowery language, or redundant expressions such as "added bonus" or "first time ever". Paint a strong, vivid picture in the minds of your audience by making each word count.
Use jargon sparingly. There are times that some jargon is required if your goal is to optimize your news release for online search engines, but whenever possible, speak plainly, using everyday language. Avoid words like "capacity planning techniques" and "extrapolate”.
Avoid hype. The exclamation point (!) is your enemy. You will destroy your credibility by using hype. If you must use an exclamation point, use one. Never do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Get Permission. Most people and companies are very protective about their reputations. Be sure that you have written permission before including information or quotes from employees or affiliates of other companies or organizations. If there is a hint of a dispute in this area, chances are your press release will be tossed aside, and never used. And you will lose your credibility.
If you follow those simple rules, you'll be able to put together a newsworthy story that will help you achieve your goals of getting the word out about your business.
Posted by billenross at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2006
Is Traditional Advertising Dead?
Talk to almost any advertising agency, or Fortune 500 company exec about advertising and promotion, and you will almost certainly hear the buzz words "fragmented advertising" and "consumer-centric campaigns" and long discussions about the many pitfalls and difficulties of creating effective advertising campaigns today.
What is fragmentation exactly? It's the increase in the number of available methods for getting your message to your audience. One of the main difficulties faced by any entrepreneur is that advertising has changed and evolved over the last few years. It now includes visual, audio and electronic media.
In fact, if you do a Google search for advertising, you may feel overwhelmed by all the options available to you now -- if you just look at the options for your Website you'll find popups, popovers, audio messages, flash video, RSS, even animated "sales people" that can be programmed to appear right on your Website and interact with your customers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg!
So is traditional advertising -- which includes billboards, radio, television, newspaper and magazine -- dead?
Not by a long shot. According to one top advertising mogul, traditional advertising methods are still around because they still work.
The trick is to figure out who your target market is, what they want, and how they look for that information.
Mark Twain said, "Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising."
If you know customers, you can spend your advertising dollars on the mediums they use to look for answers.
If your customers are senior citizens who are not online, then focus the majority of your advertising dollars on the newspapers, magazines, television, and radio that they are reading, watching or listening to.
If your target market is working parents, you need to know how, when and where they get their information. Is it on the Internet? What radio stations do they listen to? What magazines are they reading? Do they watch television? When? Why?
So what are your best options for creating an effective advertising campaign?
Here are some simple steps:
1. Know your audience. What do they want? Where do they shop? What do they read? How old are they? Where do they hang out? Do they need your product or services? Can they afford your product or services?
2. Know your competition. Be prepared to do a little detective work. What are your three main competitors doing to advertise? Where are they advertising? How often? What types of advertising methods are they using? How long have they been running? Are you reaching the same audience? Is your message different?
Look at what they're doing right, and figure out creative ways that you can make your advertising just a little bit better, or differentiate yourself from the crowd.
3. Next take a look at what the "big dogs" in your field are doing, and see if you can adapt some of their methods to your target audience and your budget.
4. Know your message. What exactly are you trying to say? What do your customers want to hear? Why should they buy from you, and not someone else? Make every word count.
Chances are, your customers are much more tech-savvy than they were five years ago, or even one year ago. The Internet has made unbelievable amounts of information accessible, but it also has contributed to the "information overload" consumers complain of.
Another side effect of the Internet is that your customers have probably become used to getting "instant gratification" when they are looking for information, products or services. They want it, and they want it now. Are you giving your customers what they want, when they want it?
If you want to have an effective advertising campaign, don't try to be everything to everyone. Think of your advertising as a conversation between you and your one "ideal" customer.
Remember, if you're giving your customers what they want, they don't perceive your ads as a nuisance, they see them as a service.
Traditional advertising is not dead and you can use it to your advantage if you pay attention to who your customers are, and what they want.
Posted by billenross at 11:34 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2006
Success - Why Action Achieves Results
Success in any entrepreneurial endeavor is contingent on a simple truth: Learning does not always require thinking.
Actually, thinking often hinders learning. Hinders learning? That flies in the face of most of what we know, doesn't it? As children we were often reproached when we made mistakes: "You just weren't thinking! Don't you ever think about what you're doing?"
Then there's the most successful personal development book of all time telling us to do what? ...That's right, "Think and Grow Rich". True it is a fantastic book and a must read for success minded people. But many of us get so tangled in thoughts that we can't get out of our "heads" and take the action required for success.
Socrates, one of the greatest "thinkers" of all time, said, "Action equals knowledge." Action, not thinking, is how we achieve results. Take playing the piano for instance. We could think about playing the piano but we will never become better until we start pecking away at the keys. If you were to ask an accomplished pianist to think about what they are playing in the middle of a rapturous concert, the music would probably fall apart into a series of painfully disconnected notes.
Same is true with typing. Ask a person who flawlessly types over 70 words a minute to think about the key strokes, and you could probably watch the mistakes pile up. Thinking hinders execution. Thinking can hinder success. The fact of the matter is we can intellectualize all we want, but until we take action we will never accomplish anything.
There is a mantra in the martial arts that says "Ready, Fire, Aim". Simply put, this means take action and correct that action as you go. It is quite probable that many businesses never get out of the starting gate because of over-thinking and over analyzing. Most people want all their ducks to be lined up in a row before they begin. This will never happen. The time will never be perfect. The key is to get started and then "keep on keeping on."
In the martial arts, students practice moves over and over and over again. They train their bodies to transcend thought and take action in the moment. Imagine a trained martial artist getting attacked on the street thinking, "Hmm, okay I'm being attacked. Should I turn my body this way or should it be the other way? Okay, now I have to trap the assailments arms, tighten my fists, pull back, and strike."
Of course this is not what happens in the martial arts. The key teaching in the martial arts is to ACT. NOW! ...In spite of the mind's tenancy to analyze the situation.
The worst kind of thinking is fear of failure. The "What if" disease. "What if I fail? What if people laugh at me? What if I lose all my money? What if, what if, what if?
Fear is paralyzing. It stops the movement necessary for success. Fear weakens our resolve, cripples our creativity, and ultimately stagnates our successes. Conversely, movement overcomes fear. When struck by fear, move. Do something!
So, don't wait to explore your entrepreneurial spirit; take action now. When those pesky thoughts creep up, and they will, scare them away with the mantra, "Don't think, don't think, don't think, don't think..." and watch your dreams and goals cascade toward you.
What is the bottom line? "Don't think and grow rich."
Posted by billenross at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
